Key representatives from Knowsley Council paid a visit to Clarke Energy on Thursday 22nd October 2015 to meet with our Chief Executive Officer Jamie Clarke and Alex Marshall Group Marketing and Compliance Manager. Knowsley Council are engaging with local industry and visiting various key businesses in the Knowsley area in order to delve into how we can create growth in the borough.
This was the first time Councillor Andy Moorhead, Knowsley’s new council leader of four months had visited Clarke Energy’s office and he was interested in the business and what we provide. Councillor Mike Murphy, Deputy Leader of the Council,  Mike Harden Chief Executive and Dale Milburn, Assistant Executive Director also attended the visit. Alex introduced Clarke Energy with some background information on the company, its history and the services that are provide. We also took the guests on a guided tour of the business and they were highly impressed with our facilities and nature of our business. They were especially interested at the fact that in one of our office spaces we were able to monitor the majority of gas engines deployed throughout the UK, and we can actually dial in control the engine due to the systems we have in place.
The meeting itself was productive, touching on how businesses in Knowsley need to keep a healthy and symbiotic relationship in order to help the area grow on a whole. One apparent obstacle that needs tackling is the gap in education, as the council believes this is the focal point in growing the borough and developing more successful careers in the community. They were especially interested to hear our views of the education side in regards to before students secure the job or apprenticeship.
Our Human Resources Manager, Lynsey Merryweather joined the to give her views on what she has experienced so far in the business and how the company has interacted with key local education stakeholders. It was expressed and agreed round the table that schools can focus on a more specialised career path as well as studying a broad range of subjects. We also believe that when schools send out students for work experience they should be able to demonstrate their knowledge at the end of it, rather than the schools just checking to see if they attended. Lynsey explained our focus on apprenticeships to support recruitment in our company and how we think very highly of apprenticeships in order to create a successfully tailored employee. We believe that colleges should focus on living up to industry and businesses expectations in order to secure their students place on apprenticeship programs, as this is the key to creating a more prosperous and beneficial future for youths, leading to growth in the borough in general.
Clarke Energy look forward to keeping in contact with Knowsley Council and organise a further meeting with the colleges to attempt to put some of these actions in motion. We look forward to helping the community and assisting with Knowsley’s development.
•          Councillor Andy Moorhead – Leader of the Council
•          Mike Harden – Chief Executive
•          Councillor Mike Murphy – Deputy Leader of the Council
•          Dale Milburn – Assistant Executive Director
