FE Colleges secure £4.5m to develop talent bank to plug vacancies

Liverpool City Region has gained a £4.5m share from the Government’s £165m Local Skills Improvement Fund which will support six projects being delivered through a partnership involving the region’s six Further Education (FE) Colleges.

The award will be used to strengthen relationships with local Chambers of Commerce and forms part of a government drive to ‘level up’ by getting more people into quality jobs close to home, while plugging skills gaps across key sectors including advanced manufacturing, logistics and construction.

Of the total amount, £3.5m will be directed towards capital projects, including the acquisition of advanced equipment to ensure that college facilities are state-of-the-art and ready to meet the evolving needs of industry.

A further £1m has been allocated for revenue projects, specifically targeting innovation in vocational training across the digital and low carbon economies. It will also support recruitment ensuring local talent is accessible to prospective employers and able to benefit from emerging careers opportunities across the city region’s diverse economy.

Some of the key projects include the creation of a central talent bank to connect employers with local talent, the development of a virtual Freeport skills academy and new, flexible training programmes for employers.

The colleges – The City of Liverpool College, Riverside College, Hugh Baird College, Wirral Met College, the SK College Group and Southport College – will host a skills summit for the Liverpool City Region, in collaboration with the city region’s Chambers of Commerce, next March.

This opportunity is the result of a collaborative effort across the region’s FE providers that not only included the colleges, but also joint working with the Greater Merseyside Learning Providers Federation. The Local Skills Improvement Fund project closely aligns with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority skills strategy – its primary focus being enhancing access to training for the progression of the region’s workforce into technical and higher technical occupations, as well as bolstering the provision of digital skills. It also seeks to enhance the region’s competitiveness and productivity while aiming to achieve its net zero targets.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “As Mayor, I’m doing everything I can to make sure we can take advantage of new opportunities and position ourselves as leaders in new technologies like AI and decarbonisation. But to get to the front of the queue, we need to make sure that local people have the skills and experience they need to take advantage of those well paid jobs and opportunities.

“People in our region are too often held back, not by a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. This funding will help to give not only hope but that much needed opportunity to so many people in our region with an aspiration to build a career for themselves.”

Elaine Bowker, Principal at The City of Liverpool College, said: “As an anchor institution for the city region, we are privileged to have led the bid to secure part of the Local Skills Improvement Fund.

“This journey sees us joining hands with other forward-thinking institutions, all committed to shaping a brighter and more sustainable future through education and skills development. Together, we’re working towards creating thriving communities, resilient industries and a workforce equipped for the challenges of tomorrow.”

Rachael Hennigan, chair of the Association of Liverpool City Region Colleges, said: “The FE colleges in Liverpool City Region serve their local borough communities and work collaboratively to design and deliver programmes for the wider city region. Building on earlier success of the Skills Development Fund, this new Local Skills Investment Fund will continue to support the design of new curriculum and skills that will help to create a cleaner, greener economy, contributing to the city region’s ambition to be net carbon zero by 2040.”