West Yorkshire to become a "region of learning and creativity" with £60 million for skills courses

22 August 2024

West Yorkshire’s colleges, councils and education providers are primed to deliver over £60 million of training courses from September, funded through the devolved Adult Skills Fund.

The funding will help deliver a huge variety of courses catering for both school leavers and adult learners of all ages from across the region.

The announcement comes as students collect their GCSE results (22 August), with regional Mayor Tracy Brabin promising that “regardless of grade, you can find your future here in West Yorkshire.”

With devolved responsibility over adult skills, Mayor Brabin has vowed to support people with basic skills like English and Maths, while also supporting people with more advanced technical education, helping them secure well-paid jobs in growing industries such as the green, digital and creative sectors.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“To anyone collecting a result, finding their first job or looking for better-paid work, my message is simple – you can find your future here in West Yorkshire.

“Because of devolution, we and our partners can equip you with the skills you need to succeed, with a laser focus on helping you secure a real, well-paid job in the local labour market.

“For our economy to succeed and thrive, we need everyone in it to succeed and thrive. That’s why we’re building a region of learning and creativity, where everyone can fulfil their potential.”

The multi-million pound investment follows a high-profile manifesto pledge to “build a region of learning and creativity”, with almost £50 million divided up between the region’s colleges, almost £7 million between the five district councils, and over £4 million between specialist training providers.

This £4.5 million of targeted contracts will tackle the specific labour shortages facing the region, with a focus on much-needed training for essential jobs including bus drivers, construction engineers and healthcare workers. To date, over 150 new bus drivers and over 400 new telecoms engineers have been trained and employed through targeted funds.

A recently withdrawn procurement will also be repurposed and sharpened, to provide a further £7 million to fill any emerging gaps in adult skills provision from January 2025.

Over the past academic year, over 40,000 learners were supported through funding from the West Yorkshire Mayor, helping to deliver thousands of vital jobs in the local labour market. Of those supported, there was a higher proportion of young learners, ethnic minority learners and disabled learners on the previous year.

The Mayor is now encouraging adults and school leavers from across the region to learn more about free training courses by checking in with their local colleges and visiting: www.futuregoals.co.uk