Public sector employers in Gateshead are coming together to celebrate an ongoing commitment to skills training for staff.
Public sector employers covering more than 17,000 staff will reaffirm a strong commitment to the Skills Pledge at the Old Town Hall on 10 September.
The skills pledge is a voluntary, public commitment by organisations to support employees in developing their basic skills and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications.
Employers from Gateshead Council, Gateshead College, Gateshead Primary Care Trust and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust will meet at the event to celebrate the importance of the Skills Pledge.
All four organisations have signed up to the national Skills Pledge scheme covering a wide range of sectors across Gateshead and will be working with trade unions to deliver improvements.
They will also hear speeches from key figures including Chris Roberts, regional director of the Learning and Skills Council and Kevin Rowan, regional director of the TUC.
Jeff Dean, director of corporate services at Gateshead Council said:
"It's absolutely vital that employers support staff and enable them to access the right training and skills development. This event will highlight all the positive work going on around Gateshead and it's heartening to see just how many employees this commitment now covers.
"The Skills Pledge demonstrates a solid commitment to driving up basic skills and we believe it's incredibly important to make sure staff get every chance to improve.
"This isn't just about the public sector and we've invited local businesses along to see all the benefits employers can access through better skills and training schemes."