Street unveils £515m skills war chest

Local businesses and residents in the West Midlands are to benefit from half a billion pounds worth of investment in skills training over the next three years.

The news comes after the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) revealed funded training helped more than 135,000 people gain new skills during the course of the pandemic.

The WMCA has finalised plans to allocate the £515m with the aim of helping local people gain skills and qualifications, progress into jobs and support wider ambitions for inclusive green economic growth.

The authority says that the plans will move the region closer to a more joined-up approach – bringing responsibility for more service delivery closer to the West Midlands and away from Whitehall.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Chair of the WMCA, said: “As we bounce back from Covid, linking up our local talent with the plentiful opportunities on offer in industry is absolutely central to my 100k jobs plan. That’s why it really is such phenomenal news that our funding has been able to help train more than 135,000 people through the difficulties of the pandemic.

“Now to build on that we have a new landmark skills investment of more than half a billion pounds made possible thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). That means we can get even more people trained in the skills of the future to help them take advantage of the high-quality, well-paid jobs on offer.

“A key part of my mayoral mission is to provide routes into high-quality well-paid employment so that the young people in our region have prospects ahead to excite them and keep them and their families here in the years ahead.”

The new skills transformation plan, agreed by the WMCA Board last month, will bring new investment and programmes into the mix, including new bootcamps in retrofit, digital and healthcare – building on the successful pilots delivered in the region.

The WMCA is also introducing a new innovation programme called Multiply, which was specifically designed to help adults in work improve their maths and offer more support for communities with financial literacy helping them to navigate through the challenges associated with cost-of-living increases.

The funding will also be used to support many local communities who were hit hardest by the pandemic. The WMCA Board has agreed to fund targeted skills and training including digital literacy as well as specific occupational training in jobs that are in demand, to support residents in moving back to work.

Councillor George Duggins, the WMCA portfolio holder for productivity and skills and leader of Coventry City Council, added: “There is major investment happening across the West Midlands but this growth will only be sustained if we harness our greatest asset – our people.

“That’s why skills is now our number one priority and why the region’s businesses, education sector and local government are coming together under this plan with a commitment to deliver inclusive growth – giving people the skills needed to land good jobs and careers in the years ahead.”

West Midlands training provider BCTG has hailed the announcement of £515 million to boost skills in the region over the next three years as a “game-changer”.

Chris Luty, chairman of BCTG, which supports almost 10,000 young people and adults in training and apprenticeships each year, said: “This funding is a game-changer for skills and training in the West Midlands.

“As well as supporting the broad range of successful programmes already under way, it will enable us to find new ways to assist employers in recruiting the staff they need and help local people get the training to secure long-term jobs.”