SKILLS ‘Skills factory’ planned for the region
Experts in cyber and space technology are bidding to create a £13m “skills factory” in Leicestershire to revitalise the region’s economy. The Leicester and Leicestershire
Institute of Technology in Space, Digital, Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Propulsion aims to help plug the skills gap in the region and help the area recover from the effects of the pandemic, in which Leicester has remained in lockdown for longer than anywhere else in the UK. The provision covers the agriculture dimension and the provision of alternative fuel-based propulsion. Now the joint bid, which has the
backing of the Chamber, has taken a step closer to reality after the Department for Education (DfE) chose it to go through to the next round of applications for one of eight new institutes of technology in the UK. The bid is centred on the themes
of space, advanced manufacturing and digital skills. It will offer training opportunities for local people, help employers to meet skills needs, create jobs, and boost growth and productivity in the local
The Leicester and Leicestershire Institute of Technology would have links to Space Park Leicester
to providing skills-based opportunities in Leicester and the surrounding region”. DMU vice-chancellor Professor
Katie Normington added: “To win this bid would mean being able to really use the training expertise we have at DMU as a regional leader in apprenticeship delivery to bolster the development of crucial digital skills throughout the region. “By working with Leicestershire
‘Demonstrates the university’s long track record in space science and research’
economy as well as supporting the delivery of specialist skills and education elsewhere in the UK. The delivery partnership involves
the University of Leicester, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), Leicester College, The SMB Group (Stephenson College & Brooksby Melton College), North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, the National Space Centre and employers including Airbus, Reaction Engines and WSP Engineering.
Each partner will bring their
expertise in areas such as digital skills, engineering, space technology and manufacturing, supporting the Government’s “levelling up” agenda. Professor Nishan Canagarajah,
president and vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester, said reaching the final stage of the Government’s bidding process “not only demonstrates the university’s long track record in space science and research, but our commitment
education partners, we will be able to provide a comprehensive, ideal range of experience to ensure this institute is a catalyst for economic growth and innovation into the future.” The Leicester and Leicestershire
Local Enterprise Partnership’s economic recovery plan identifies a lack of digital skills and below- average productivity levels as factors inhibiting the area’s growth. The need for skilled jobs will only
increase as plans progress to open a freeport in the East Midlands, creating an estimated 60,000 new skilled jobs for the region, with a focus on industrial strengths such as advanced manufacturing to boost competitiveness and spur local and regional economic growth.
business network June 2021
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