New academy to deliver high speed workers

A NEW National Skills Academy will help to deliver the skilled workers needed to complete massive infrastructure projects like the new High Speed Rail Link between London and Birmingham, the government has said.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said it was vital for the future wellbeing of the economy that skilled workers were available for such projects.

He was speaking as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced new skills academies would be opening to cover five key sectors – rail engineering; logistics; green building services; biotechnology and composites.

The new bodies will be funded by a £12m public investment matched by the private sector.

Together, the academies will aim to attract more than 300,000 learners to the training programmes they oversee over the next four years.

The rail engineering NSA will receive nearly £3m of government investment through the Skills Funding Agency and has the support of organisations including Network Rail, Transport for London, Rail Freight Group, the Rail Industry Association and the Association of Train Operating Companies.

To coincide with the publication of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ first National Strategic Skills Audit, the government has also launched a £50m Joint Investment Programme, matching employer investment pound for pound in priority sectors.

Commissioned and requested by the government, the skills audit sets out the current standing of UK skills and highlights where development is needed for the future.

Lord Mandelson said: “Ambitious government projects like High Speed Rail and new civil nuclear power need a range of new skills to make them a reality.

“We are investing in the industries where employers’ need is greatest – tens of thousands of people working in these industries, the consumers they serve and the UK as a whole will see the benefit.”

New academies and investment by employers, in partnership with colleges and the education sector, would equip young people with the skills they need to boost their careers and drive the economy forward, he added.

National Skills Academies bring together employers and learning providers to shape training programmes to meet the needs of industry.

The five new academies bring the total number of such facilities to 18, which together benefit from a combined employer investment of more than £130m.