EMPLOYERS are being invited to a special workshop in March to help them find and retain staff.

Recruitment and training advisors will be on hand to offer advice at the event at Settle Victoria Hall, which is being jointly organised by Craven District Council and the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

There will also be representatives from Migration Yorkshire, which works with employers to provide work placements to help migrants get a foothold in the job market.

The workshop is funded by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the council’s project to develop its former waste depot site at Langcliffe Quarry to provide new workspace and deliver a programme of business support events to help businesses across Craven.

Employers around the country, including in Craven, are struggling to recruit, often facing the added challenges of a dispersed population and greater commuting distances.

The aim of the event is to provide an opportunity for employers to receive one-to-one advice as well as hear what other employers are doing to find staff and fill vacancies.

Alison Laws, business relationship manager for Craven at York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub said: “It is clear the main barrier to growth that many businesses are experiencing is recruiting the right staff.

"This is split into either designing a vacancy to make it attractive to recruits or else locating available people to the jobs on offer.”

With a focus on discussion, the event will feature presentations on a range of services aimed at helping employers to locate suitable staff, including the 'restart scheme', which uses various support options to help people into work.

The employer engagement team at Migration Yorkshire, which works with employers to provide work placements to help migrants get a foothold in the job market.

The team is part of the 'connecting opportunities' initiative which is designed to help new migrants develop their skills and opportunities to find work and be part of the local community, including provision of support with cultural orientation and English language classes.

The apprenticeship hub will provide all the information an employer may need about apprenticeships. Where they can find an apprentice, providing the right training and helping an apprentice gain the appropriate qualifications, what help is available to fund the costs of training an apprentice.

The event takes place on Thursday, March 3 from 9am to 1pm at Victoria Hall in Settle.

Attendance is free. Employers who wish to attend are invited to reserve a place by visiting Eventbrite, www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/help-for-employers-to-find-the-right-staff-tickets-266679073287; or by calling 01756 706214.