A BUSINESS has put a dash of improvement and a dollop of cash into the community.

Park Cakes Bakery has teamed up with Bolton Community College to open a learning centre for employees.

Bolton South East MP, Brian Iddon officially opened the new centre, which has been funded by the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union.

It is designed to give the 350-strong workforce access to learning resources including a computer suite, a library and a classroom, In 1997, Park Cakes, on Bella Street, was the first bakery in the area to offer on-site learning for its staff with tutors from Bolton Community College delivering Skills for Life courses in numeracy and literacy.

The partnership between the college and the bakery was forged when the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) became involved with the North West Learning Agenda twelve years ago.

The agenda aimed to tackle any skills gaps.

And Bolton Community College’s business development unit started delivering skills lessons to Park Cakes and bosses say the partnership has gone from strength to strength.

Pauline Worsnop, a BFAWU Learning Services Project worker for the North West, said: “We hope the centre will encourage more employees to get a taste for learning and enrol on one of the skills courses available to them.”

Louise Blackhurst, the college’s curriculum manager for the Skills for Life and Work added: “The college has been proud to deliver learning provision to Park Cakes Bakery employees over the past decade. The partnership will be enhanced by the new facilities, enabling learning on site to flourish.”