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The company was already fulfilling some of the pledges, with a strong emphasis on staff training and development at all levels, a well-established journalism graduate training programme and a commitment to provide work placements and support to local schools and colleges.

As part of its commitment to the pledge, the Press Association has recruited 12 apprentices, working in Finance, Customer Services, IT, HR and Sports Data. It has also expanded links with local schools and colleges and is  working with the new CREATE Studio school in Goole, mentoring students in the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship stream and helping to develop employability skills.

Margaret Hicks-Clarke, the Press Association’s Head of Operations and a member of the Humber LEP Employment and Skills Board, said: “We have signed up to the Humber Skills Pledge because we are committed to the region and its future growth and prosperity, which we see as closely aligned to our own. “We have a fantastic pool of staff recruited from the local area. It is thanks to them that our business continues to thrive in spite of the considerable challenges facing the media.”

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The Press Association is the UK’s national news agency and leading multimedia and digital content supplier, employing 500 people at its Operations Centre in Howden, East Yorkshire.