COLLEGES across Coventry and Warwickshire will receive funding totalling more than £5 million as part of a pilot scheme to reshape technical skills training in the region.
WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group), Coventry College, North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), and Stratford-upon-Avon College will all receive a slice of the funding after a successful group bid.
Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “For Coventry and Warwickshire to be named a pilot region for the Skills Accelerator programme is fantastic and is evidence that our region is at the forefront of the national drive to deliver effective technical education.
“This funding will be used to create an effective region-wide strategy.”
Carol Thomas, Coventry College Principal and CEO, said: “Coventry is an ambitious City with key industrial strengths and this funding will enable our College to further support businesses with the skills they need in electrification, retrofit and digital.”
The funding will be used to create a Coventry and Warwickshire Strategy for Technical Education and see new facilities and courses created, as well as staff recruited and trained across the colleges to deliver on the strategy.
Lindsey Stewart, Acting Principal for Stratford-upon-Avon College, said: “After the tough time Stratford-upon-Avon has had during the last 18 months, the college is delighted to able to offer an exciting new range of courses in both construction and creative areas.”
Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, added: “It will reinforce our ability to deliver in-demand skills so urgently needed by the digital sector as we work towards the development of a new Digital Skills and Innovation Centre in Nuneaton town centre, alongside our current Digital Skills Academy based in Coventry.”
The bid was supported by Louise Bennett, chief executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Louise said: “One of the key issues that is raised with us by members time and again is the need for the right people, with the right skills to help businesses grow.
“We are delighted, therefore, that Coventry and Warwickshire has been chosen as a pilot area for the Skills Accelerator Programme.”
