Education

£16.1m invested into skills education across Liverpool City Region

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has confirmed an investment of more than £16m into skills education at colleges, local authorities and learning providers across the Liverpool City Region.

Skills training in the city region has already seen a £30m investment into buildings, facilities and equipment.

Of the total fund, £12.6m has been allocated to 28 projects across the region in addition to the £3.5m confirmed back in April by the Combined Authority, to maintain the region’s FE colleges.

Speaking about the funding, Steve Rotheram said:

“Over the last two and a half years we have invested nearly £50 million to ensure that our local colleges and training providers are able to provide first class skills education to people right across the Liverpool City Region.

“Our investment will make sure that our young people will enter the world of work having had the best possible technical and vocational training. I want our workforce to be leaders in the industries of tomorrow – and that all starts with world class training.”

This Skills Capital Funding comes from the Local Growth Fund.  Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund.

Part of the Skills Capital Funding is the focus on low carbon technologies and general facility improvements.

Successful bids for the funding include:

Almost £3m to Riverside College for supporting the future Health and Social Care sector workforce through building projects. This includes extending facilities and replacing the current accommodation with a brand-new three-story building.

Almost £2m for Southport College to focus on construction industry specific skills, as well as improved energy efficiency for the college from a further £167,000.

£1.45m to establish a Digital Employability Skills Zone and Digital Academy at City of Liverpool College, with specialist training offered up to level 7. £167,000 will also be put into improving the energy efficiency of the college.

£1.1m for Sefton Council to redevelop the Cambridge Road Centre to help enable returning learners to develop the skills they need to return to the labour market in key sectors.

Mayor Joe Anderson OBE, Liverpool City Region portfolio holder education, employment and skills, said: 

“This is the latest stage in our ongoing investment in the people of the City Region, and the learning facilities they need to gain the right skills to work in our new modern economy.  Our local employers are looking for better and more skilled staff so they can compete for more, better high value contracts across the world, from their base in the Liverpool City Region, and we are determined to give local people access to the opportunities that presents.”

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