In a bid endorsed by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce EKC Group, MidKent College and North Kent College have been appointed as Strategic Development Fund ‘pilots’ for a sector leading project across Kent and Medway.
The project will see each of the college groups deliver training in key sectors aligned with local skills priorities across the county. Following the successful bid into the Government’s ‘skills accelerator programme’ the colleges will now develop rigorous plans to address the skills across three key sectors in Kent; agriculture, construction and engineering. The project will help businesses in Kent and Medway flourish as new skills are unlocked for them and skills gaps are filled. Businesses will get a double boost, as the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce has also secured a portion of a £4 million fund to act as a Local Skills Improvement Plan trailblazer.
The fund has been put in place by Government in order to ensure a pipeline of talent development, with the Kent colleges bids focussed on meeting the long-term skills priorities for the area, whilst simultaneously strengthening the relationship between business and education, in order to ensure that the skills students learn meet the needs of businesses.
The winning bid submitted for Kent and Medway has the key thread of ‘decarbonisation’ running through each of the different sector elements. It will ensure that the colleges focus on the pressing need to revolutionise the county’s approach to decarbonisation, driving efforts to equip the current and future workforce with the knowledge, skills and technological innovation they’ll require to reduce the environmental impact of industries that will continue to play a key role in the economic development of the area.
Simon Cook, Principal of MidKent College which led the bid, said “We’re very fortunate to have a strong partnership of colleges here in Kent and Medway that can work effectively together to deliver positive outcomes for local people across the county. We’re delighted that our bid was successful, and we’re confident that the Government’s investment here will help us support these three key sectors in transforming their operations to protect our environment while contributing to the local economy.”
Graham Razey, Chief Executive Officer of EKC Group, said: “As a Group we are committed to working in partnership with employers across our area, and have done so very successfully in the past. This Skills Accelerator Project will ensure our colleges deliver increased innovation, productivity and resilience in the Kent and Medway economy, whilst also making a significant contribution to local and national sustainability goals for the future.”
David Gleed, Chief Executive of North Kent College, said: “We are very pleased with the success of our joint Bid, demonstrating a real vote of confidence in Kent FE and reflecting the many years of the Colleges working in partnership across Kent. The investment will maintain the position of the three partner colleges as one of the leading innovators of skills within the County ensuring the residents and employers of Kent continue to benefit from the high quality opportunities that we all provide year after year.”