Celebrating Success: Dr Sue Kirk

Susan Kirk and a colleague from the University of Derby have been awarded £14,507 from the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise Funding to support a research study into how identification and a sense of belonging to a place impact upon the ability to attract and retain workers from employers and policymakers’ perspectives. The focus of the initial stage of the project is in the Derbyshire Peak District, a rural area that faces a number of key challenges in terms of staff recruitment and skill shortages. The second phase of the project will be to replicate the study in rural Northumberland, where there are similar challenges facing some rural areas.