AN initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team.

Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial Solutions Hub) as Education Liaison Officer.

Hannah, from Whitehaven, has spent the last 11 years working to give young people opportunities in education and employment having worked with Northumbria University, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, The University of Law, and Hello Future, a partnership of universities, colleges and employers working to improve access for young people to higher education in Cumbria.

“I am really excited to start with iSH,” said Hannah. “iSH is such an important programme for the people of West Cumbria. It’s great to be involved from the beginning.

“Having worked with many young people through education and outreach, I am passionate that every young person should have the support they need to access opportunities.

“I think in many ways life is getting harder for young people wherever they live.

“Social media comes with its negatives. Youth clubs and youth experiences have been cut to almost non-existent over the last ten years.

“Young people have also had to experience education turbulence and social disruption during the pandemic.

“Then when you look at West Cumbria where young people can be so isolated because of the infrastructure, you realise that it can be even harder here.

“That’s why I am so determined that young people here should be able to access opportunities and cultural experiences to benefit themselves and the communities around them for the future.

“When I first talked to John Maddison (iSH Managing Director) and Steve Wilkinson (iSH Operations Director) we were talking about robotics and AI and it inspired me.

“I think it’s brilliant that iSH will be helping give young people access to big city opportunities and bringing that to their doorstep and showcasing what the future can hold for them.

“I also love that iSH is all about collaboration. It’s not about doing all of this ourselves. It’s about working with local partnerships and employers to fill in the gaps.

“My role is to make sure that, through collaboration, young people who might otherwise not have had opportunities, will have clear pathways and the support they need to access training and employment that iSH will help create across the region.

“That’s what I will be focusing on and working with other organisations and groups to help make that happen.”

Brought up in Caldbeck, and having attended Caldew School, Dalston, near Carlisle, Hannah has lived in Cumbria and Newcastle.

John Maddison, iSH Managing Director said: “We are delighted to welcome Hannah to the team. She has lots of expertise and experience of helping young people, who might otherwise get overlooked, access opportunities, which is such a vital part of our programme.

“Hannah also brings that energy, enthusiasm and ability to collaborate with other organisations, businesses and individuals, which is the way we work at iSH, mapping the gaps and then working with others to enhance the region’s capability.

“It is an approach which is enabling us to press ahead with initiatives which are bringing opportunities to businesses, organisations and people of all ages in the region.”

Hannah is the second of ten initial appointments iSH is making as it builds its team to deliver a programme to create more than 700 jobs, enabling industry, businesses, academia, and community to come together and collaborate to enhance skills, increase capabilities, and regenerate communities across West Cumbria.

Latest job opportunities with iSH include: Regional Representative, Operations Director, Investment Lead and Senior Project Manager.

There will also be roles for a Project Controls Officer, Business Liaison Officer, Community Liaison Officer and a Project Management Apprentice.

These latest positions come on the back of iSH opening its office in Cleator Moor town centre where it has appointed Lynn Huddart as its Office Manager.

John Maddison said: “As we build our team we will further accelerate our work to bring a range of economic and social benefits to the community through projects which will create training and employment opportunities and have a positive impact on people, the economy, and the environment.

“As with our first two appointments we are looking for people in these latest eight roles who share our passion and ethos for making this happen.”

Last month £20m of Levelling Up Fund investment was awarded by government to Copeland Borough Council for the iSH Enterprise Campus, to fund phase two of redevelopment at Leconfield, Cleator Moor.

iSH is also supported in its activity by funding from Cleator Moor Town Deal Board which, working with Copeland Borough Council, secured a provisional offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last year.

As well as being supported by Copeland Borough Council, iSH is also backed by Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.