Skills deal agreed to provide targeted funding for apprenticeships and upskilling

The Government has agreed a skills deal for the West Midlands worth up to £69m that will provide targeted funding to address specific local problems.

The agreement with the West Midlands Combined Authority targets digital and technical skills, job opportunities and productivity across the region.

It will provide support for upskilling and retraining, as well as supporting young people.

The West Midlands Combined Authority will invest £20m and the Government will co-fund the new skills deal, alongside employer funding.

“Every time I speak to businesses in West Midlands, the number one issue that keeps getting fed back to me as the barrier for growth is skills,” said Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street.

“We know best the challenges facing West Midlands businesses and, among the colleges and educational institutions, we know how to tackle them.”

The investment will go towards creating hundreds of apprenticeships at SMEs and in equipment and facilities at local colleges, while up to £5m will be used to develop a National Retraining Scheme pilot, £1m to boost edtech and a further £1m to improve careers advice for young people.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds, who visited Dudley College to launch the deal, said: “This new skills deal will provide the right investment so that both young people and adults have the chance to learn, upskill, retrain and take advantage of the range of exciting jobs in areas such as construction, cyber security and digital technology.”