The Black Country Skills Factory joined projects funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), to attend a skills investment showcase, called Foundations for Growth, in London last week.
The event, held on 30 April 2014 at Plaisterers Hall in London, brought together a portfolio of projects managed by the UKCES through the Growth and Innovation Fund and Employer Investment Fund. Employers, trade associations, Chambers, LEPs and Sector Skills Councils were all in attendance.
The Black Country Skills Factory, an employer-led project whose aim is to address the skills shortages in the High Value Manufacturing sector in the Black Country, received funding via the Growth and Innovation Fund in April 2013 and was invited by the UKCES to attend the showcase to share its experiences and achievements of the project to date.
The Skills Factory team, along with manufacturing employers from the Black Country, shared what had been achieved so far and highlighted what the future holds for the project via a presentation and showcase exhibition area.
A case study on Lauren Speed, the first apprentice to receive subsidised support from the Skills Factory commencing her Engineering Apprenticeship at 3D Tooling Technologies Ltd in August 2013, was also featured in the UKCES delegate brochure: Transforming the UKs approach to investing in skills. The brochure highlights some of the achievements of the investments made by the UKCES and acknowledges the commitment and ambition of the organisations and businesses they have worked with over the last three years. Download the brochure from the Skills Factory website.
Over 175 guests attended Foundations for Growth. Main stage speakers included: Prof John Coyne, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby and a UKCES Commissioner; Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for Skills and Enterprise, and UKCES Chairman, Sir Charlie Mayfield.
There were also project showcase presentations from partners and employers from EU Skills, The Institute of the Motor Industry, e-skills and BITC. Many other delivery partners and their employers also shared their experiences and successes via the showcase exhibition area.
Visit the UKCES website for more information on Investment Funds.
