College announced as delivery and development lead of the North East’s Local Skills Improvement Fund

East Durham College have been announced as the lead applicant in the delivery and development of the North East’s Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) worth £3.7m to be invested in meeting the regions skills needs.

The multi-million-pound fund will be used to develop post-16 technical training by upskilling teaching and college leadership and management staff, develop new training programmes and courses, improve college facilities and provide state-of-the-art training equipment.

The investment will be targeted to deliver the region’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) which was recently produced to detail how skills provision should be developed and changed to meet the specific labour market needs of employers and key sectors in the region.

Suzanne Duncan, Principal at East Durham College, which has campus sites in Peterlee and Durham said: “We are delighted and honoured to have been selected as the lead FE college in the region to delivery of the North East LSIF.

“We will play a key role in ensuring the college sector adapts to provide students, particularly at Level 3 to Level 5, with latest training techniques required by employers, training with resources they will encounter in the workplace and so meeting the local labour market skills needs in the key industry sectors identified.

“We look forward to working with our colleagues in the FE sector to make a huge impact on the region’s economy through the successful delivery of the fund and skills improvement plan.”

The introduction of LSIPs and the Local Skills Improvement Fund are a key part of the Government’s 10-year vision for skills set out in the Skills for Jobs White Paper.

Minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education Robert Halfon added: “Building a world-class skills and apprenticeships nation means listening to the specific needs of local people, businesses, and institutions.

“This funding will revolutionise how we plug local skills gaps and provide a boost to the economy.

“Supporting colleges to better meet the needs of local employers not only boosts businesses, it extends the ladder of opportunity to even more people from all backgrounds who will be equipped with the skills they need to secure a rewarding job close to home.”

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