Derek Thomas MP welcomes the Minister of State for Employment to the Penzance Dry Dock
Derek Thomas MP was delighted to welcome Guy Opperman, Minister of State for Employment, along with Senior Officials from the Department for Work & Pensions and the Job Centre to Penzance to meet with local business owners at the Harbour View Cafe. This was an opportunity for a robust discussion about what the Government and the Job Centre can do so all businesses can access the staff and skills needed to grow.
Guy Opperman, Minister of State for Employment said; ‘I was glad to visit Derek and meet with a driven and committed group of businessmen and women. It is clear to me that the right kind of support provided by my department to ensure these business owners can recruit and retain the skilled staff they need will offer a boost to the Cornish economy and I will work with Derek, local businesses, and my officials to take action in this area.’
Local industries, including hospitality, digital services, Marine Engineering and construction attended the Business Breakfast, which was followed by a tour of Penzance Dry Dock, the oldest operation dry dock in Europe, as the company establishes the site for ship repair, refurbishment and build.
Jamie Murphy is the CEO of Penzance Dry Dock and the Linked Solutions Group said, “We enjoyed showing the Employment Minister, Guy Opperman, around Penzance Dry Dock and discussing how our workforce will play a critical part in supporting industries such as UK Shipbuilding and Floating Offshore Wind.
We discussed employment challenges in Cornwall, housing our workforce, and the struggles of re-establishing this historic facility back to its proper place in the industry. It was great to hear about the Minsters plans to support local businesses and create more job opportunities in the region. Looking forward to seeing positive changes in our community!"
Derek Thomas MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly added, ‘It is important that Government Ministers take the time to get right down to West Cornwall to meet with small businesses. These provide the lion share of the jobs and make a particular contribution to our local employment market and economy. Guy demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges and has offered to follow up the visit by charging Work and Pension Department officials to work more closely with Cornwall’s businesses to identify how we collectively work to meet the labour and skill needs many businesses have. If this is the case in your business, please get in touch at [email protected].
