Salford Council has confirmed the appointment of Matthew Ainsworth as its new assistant director for skills, work and the inclusive economy.
Mr Ainsworth, who returns to the council after a previous nine-year stint, will spearhead the council’s skills and work programme, recently given a £1.5m funding injection, as we seek to bolster our skills pipelines and better connect the city’s employers and training providers.
A seasoned veteran within the public sector, Mr Ainsworth, who is Salford-born, joins the council after seven years with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority as its acting director for education, skills and work. In addition to his time with Salford, he also previously worked at Nottingham City Council and JobCentre Plus.
Mr Ainsworth said on his new role: “I am incredibly excited about starting a new chapter in my career at Salford City Council to work with an amazing group of colleagues and partners to deliver inclusive growth and maximise opportunities for the city’s residents and businesses.
“Salford is a city that’s really going places and is a driving force in Greater Manchester. All residents should be able to see and feel the benefit of its growth and have access to more opportunities to increase their skillset or access training opportunities. As the new assistant director for skills, works and the inclusive economy – I will put all my effort into making that the case and putting Salford at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse.”
Tom Stannard, chief executive of Salford City Council, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to convince Mat to return to his roots as a true Salfordian with this incredibly important new role that is at the forefront of our plans to revolutionise our approach to skills and work.
“His experience, knowledge and drive will be a real win for Salford and I am very excited about seeing what he will bring to the table as we seek to broker relations with businesses, employers and training providers to deliver lifelong learning opportunities for all and make adult education fashionable again.”
