Region to become place of ‘learning and creativity’ with £60m for skills courses
West Yorkshire’s colleges, councils and education providers are primed to deliver over £60m of training courses from September, funded through the devolved Adult Skills Fund.
The funding will help deliver a variety of courses catering for both school leavers and adult learners of all ages from across the region.
With devolved responsibility over adult skills, regional Mayor Tracy Brabin has vowed to support people with basic skills like English and Maths, while also supporting people with more advanced technical education, helping them secure well-paid jobs in growing industries such as the green, digital and creative sectors.
She said: “To anyone collecting a result, finding their first job or looking for better-paid work, my message is simple – you can find your future here in West Yorkshire.
“Because of devolution, we and our partners can equip you with the skills you need to succeed, with a laser focus on helping you secure a real, well-paid job in the local labour market.
“For our economy to succeed and thrive, we need everyone in it to succeed and thrive. That’s why we’re building a region of learning and creativity, where everyone can fulfil their potential.”
The multi-million pound investment follows a manifesto pledge to “build a region of learning and creativity”, with almost £50m divided up between the region’s colleges, almost £7m between the five district councils, and over £4m between specialist training providers.
This £4.5m of targeted contracts will tackle the specific labour shortages facing the region, with a focus on training for essential jobs including bus drivers, construction engineers and healthcare workers.
To date, over 150 new bus drivers and over 400 new telecoms engineers have been trained and employed through targeted funds.
A recently withdrawn procurement will also be repurposed and sharpened, to provide a further £7m to fill any emerging gaps in adult skills provision from January 2025.
