The Government's Net Zero Growth Plan predicts hundreds of thousands of job opportunities in the coming years in areas such as heat pump installation and solar panel maintenance, as well as electric vehicle manufacturing and environmental consultancy.
To address staff and skills shortages in these areas, funding from the Government's Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) has been supplied to the Marches Education Partnership, with a particular focus on 'green' technologies.
The partnership comprises Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College, Shrewsbury College and Telford College, working with local training providers Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association, In-Comm Training and SBC Training Services, and supported by Telford & Wrekin Council.
Funding has been spent on new equipment and technology, as well as the creation of 14 training centres.
The centres will offer new courses and teaching facilities, including workshops and refurbished classrooms fitted out with industry-standard equipment, working closely with local employers.
The Marches Education Partnership aims to ensure that people seeking careers or looking to upskill for career development can access improved skills training, helping them secure good jobs closer to home.
The Partnership said: "We want to prepare the future workforce by developing a skills training response to include appropriate digital, electronics, electrical, mechanical, and technical skills to expand and maintain automated production facilities."
