£5m+ Government investment

Colleges are celebrating the award of £5 million government funding to continue to develop innovative facilities and resources to help people seeking careers in green energy, improve digital skills and Innovation in Health & Care and develop effective employer partnerships to address the skills gaps in education.

The funding is part of the £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), which is targeted to address the specific skills needs of each region after local businesses and employers identified their priorities through their Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).

The funding announcement for the partnership of three Kent Colleges was made by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan following a visit to the Maidstone campus of MidKent College in November where she was shown around their current facilities which have been funded by the precursor to the LSIP.

MidKent College will use the funding to create a new training facility providing hands-on experience in Retrofit energy efficiency measures to support renewable and sustainable energy solutions in existing buildings.

Simon Cook, Principal and Chief executive at MidKent College said: “We are thrilled that construction and building services businesses across Kent & Medway will benefit from this investment in retrofit technology and training. We know from our conversations with employers that growing skills for sustainable construction practices and improving the energy efficiency of existing housing stock are priorities for the sector here in the Southeast.”

“We’re incredibly proud that this new facility will work seamlessly with our Home Energy Centre and

Sustainable Construction Skills Factory at the heart of our Maidstone campus, and alongside our own efforts to make the campus carbon neutral by 2030.”

East Kent Colleges Group is leading a project for Digital Skills and Innovation in Health & Care on behalf of the college partnership. This project will improve recruitment and retention and improve digital skills and the use of technology in the health and care sector.

It will also improve promotion of the sector to new entrants, support the development of enhanced career pathways and enable the development of more efficient and tailored health and care solutions.

Graham Razey, Chief Executive of East Kent Colleges Group, said: “This funding is going to help us accelerate the skills development we know our healthcare employers need across the county. At present there is a clear need to grow the skills that healthcare providers will need in the future, and this LSIF funding will enable us to deliver against this agenda, developing the next generation of highly skilled employees.”

The key aim of the third project which will be led by North Kent College is to increase the capacity and capability of the Region’s Further Education providers to support employers with the higher technical and digital skills needed by modern manufacturing businesses. It aims to establish the physical infrastructure needed to modernise the curriculum in factory automation skills, increase the total number of expert technical tutors available and develop lasting employer partnerships that will underpin ongoing future success.

David Gleed, Chief Executive and Executive Principal, North Kent College said “I am delighted that North Kent College will benefit from investment in the priority skills shortage sectors including Low Carbon Construction, and Healthcare. We will lead on Engineering & Manufacturing, developing first class resources and an Industry Council to focus on collaborative delivery and exciting project-based learning, maximising the impact through our connected classrooms. Through better collaborations between businesses and education, we aim to inspire the next generation that will grow Kent’s economy and help our communities prosper.”

Announcing the funding, Education Secretary, The Right Honourable Gillian Keegan MP said: “Local businesses have worked together with their chamber of commerce and their colleges and training providers to say, ‘in our area there are these skills that we are missing.’ Then we make sure we bring the businesses and the education system together, so the courses match the jobs that are there in the industry.”