£15m investment in skills training

Thousands more people across Bristol will be supported each year to get new skills and progress in work thanks to a £15 million package to skill-up the region voted through by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

More than £5 million will go towards training more than 6,000 locals to plug skills gaps in the region – including courses to train up an army of retrofitters, electric car mechanics and other workers needed as the region transitions to a net-zero future.

Meanwhile, 200,000 young people will get the support they need to plan their routes into the jobs they want later on through a £1.5 million investment to support all 97 of the region’s secondary schools to improve the quality of their careers education.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “This latest funding boost f is our biggest investment yet and will help to give tens of thousands more locals access to the support and training they need to develop new skills and develop their careers in the West of England.”