Projects share £2.5m fund to support green recovery

Businesses, colleges and councils will share £2.5m to support young people across the region and drive clean growth on the route to net zero.

Projects ranging from new youth hubs supporting young unemployed people to a new purpose-built facility to deliver STEM education and training will receive grants from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s (GBSLEP) Growing Places Fund.

Unlocking opportunities in the Clean Growth sector is at the heart of the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator at Tyseley Energy Park.

The grants will provide residents and business across the GBSLEP area with new buildings, training and skills opportunities, and equipment which supports the Government’s vision to level up the West Midlands.

The full list of projects is listed below:

Dolphin Centre Youth Hub (Birmingham City Council)
The Greater Birmingham Ladder Enterprise Hub (BCTG Ltd)
Solihull Youth Hub Digital Skills and Capability Development (Solihull Council)
Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator (Tyseley Energy Park Ltd)
Tomorrow’s People (Cadburys College / Sandwell College)
Engineering and Sustainable Construction Centre (University College Birmingham)
Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology ‘For the Win’
Scaffolding and Roofing Construction Employability (Construction College Midlands – part of Walsall College)
Crafting the Future – Redditch Construction Centre (Heart of Worcestershire College)
Tyseley Incubator for Clean Energy Phase 2 (Tyseley Energy Park Ltd)
Sophie Drake, GBSLEP board director for young people, said: “The pandemic diminished the prospects and opportunities for many groups in our society with research highlighting the negative economic and social impact on our young people. That’s why working through our triple helix structure of public, private and academic partners, we published our Young People Strategy last year and developed this grant programme to help our younger generation build a strong future for themselves. From the projects that can now go ahead, it’s clear the Growing Places Fund will have a real impact on the ground with new facilities, employment hubs and training programmes for young people across the West Midlands.

“In addition to this, we are funding some projects that will propel our green recovery which sits at the heart of our ongoing mission to drive sustainable inclusive growth for our local economy. This builds on the existing £1.2 Clean Growth Programme where grants are still currently available for our SMEs.”