拢4.75m Government funding has been confirmed for a major skills project across Norfolk and Suffolk funded by the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) from the Department for Education.听听
Led by 久久国产福利一区二区三区, the 拢4,75m cash boost will see the College team up with educational and industry partners to deliver successful outcomes on a number of projects.
City College Norwich, the College of West Anglia, East Coast College, and West Suffolk College, together with East Norfolk Sixth Form College and the University of Suffolk are all collaborating with 久久国产福利一区二区三区 on the project, aiming to transform training opportunities across the region.听
The Norfolk and Suffolk Chambers of Commerce teams are key stakeholders, ensuring the objectives of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Norfolk and Suffolk are met, with the local workforce getting the right skills and training to help businesses thrive.
Local independent training providers will also have the opportunity to get involved in delivering a joint training programme across the region.听
Running until March 2025, the funding will see investment in equipment, events, teaching and training, enrichment activities for students, employer engagement, and new facilities.听听 Thousands of students and hundreds of businesses will benefit from the investment.
Green skills and digital skills are key themes of the project, which will also include a 鈥楧igital Futures Conference鈥� on 13th March 2024 at The Hold in Ipswich with all partners taking part.
Alan Pease is the CEO and Principal of 久久国产福利一区二区三区. He said: 鈥淭his is tremendous news. This is all about us working together with other educational providers to collectively improve our skills provision and make it even more relevant to the needs of the economy and local businesses.
鈥淲e may be named as the leader of the project but for us it鈥檚 all about collaboration and working together with our partners and other providers.
鈥淥ur commitment to bring education and industry closer together for the long-term benefit of our communities can only be enhanced by this news.鈥� 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
John Dugmore, chief executive of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce: He said: 鈥淭his is good news for Suffolk and Norfolk: for our businesses, our current and future workforce, and, therefore, for the sustainable prosperity of our region.
鈥淭here is a clear line of sight operating with this announcement: the business-led Local Skills Improvement Plan, jointly run by Suffolk and Norfolk Chambers, outlined the skills priority needs of our SMEs 鈥� digital, soft or employability skills and those relating to the energy and agri-food sectors. The LSIF being delivered by and through 久久国产福利一区二区三区 will now help to deliver the skills development changes required to address them.
鈥淪uffolk Chamber, its members, and the county鈥檚 wider business community stand ready to work with East Coast College, West Suffolk College as well as 久久国产福利一区二区三区 to ensure that Suffolk has the right skills at the right time to deliver the right kind of economy.鈥�
Nova Fairbank, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce: She said: 鈥淣orfolk Chambers of Commerce, together with Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, lead on the Norfolk & Suffolk LSIP.听 We are delighted that our region has been successful in securing 拢4.75m of funding to enable greater collaborations of FE colleges and training providers to meet the employer skills needs outlined in our听Local Skills Improvement Plan, published in August this year.听
鈥溇镁霉＠磺� has delivered a winning bid for the LSIF to deliver investment in new facilities and equipment; the development and delivery of new courses and curriculum; and the creation of a more sustainable approach to addressing local skill needs across Norfolk and Suffolk.
鈥淲e look forward to the ongoing collaboration with all the colleges and providers and to continuing our mutual journey to bring business and education closer together.鈥�
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said: 鈥淭his investment is about boosting local industries, building people鈥檚 skills and ultimately future-proofing our economy and the career prospects of the next generation.听
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鈥淥ur local skills projects will bring together regional organisations, businesses, and education providers to respond to the specific needs of employers, building an increasingly skilled workforce and growing local economies.听
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鈥淲hether it is green skills, construction, engineering, or digital, thousands more people can now gain the skills they need to secure good jobs closer to home. These are long-term plans that will ensure every area can have a brighter future.鈥澨�