The government has awarded three Sussex councils more than £10 million to train the “next generation of builders, carers and engineers set to rebuild Britain”.
West Sussex County Council has been awarded almost £4.4 million, East Sussex County Council more than £2.6 million and Brighton and Hove City Council up to £3.6 million.
The Department for Education (DfE) said that the funding meant that the area would “benefit from radical skills reforms to deliver economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity for young people”.
The DfE said that the money for “skills bootcamps” would boost skills opportunities for people from the area as the government “weans UK businesses off migrant labour as part of its ‘plan for change’”.
Yesterday (Tuesday 27 May) The DfE also said: “More skilled brickies, carpenters and healthcare support workers will soon be trained up as we continue our drive to get Britain working, with landmark reforms announced today that refocus the skills landscape towards young, domestic talent.
“The measures, backed by a record-breaking £3 billion apprenticeship budget, will open up opportunities for young people to succeed in careers the country vitally needs to prosper.
“More routes into skilled work mean more people building affordable homes, more care for NHS patients and more digital experts to push our economy forward.”
The department said that this would include an extra 30,000 apprenticeship starts by the next general election.
The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “A skilled workforce is the key to steering the economy forward and today we’re backing the next generation by giving young people more opportunities to learn a trade, earn a wage and achieve and thrive.
“When we invest in skills for young people, we invest in a shared stronger economic future, creating opportunities as part of our ‘plan for change’.
“But everyone has a role to play in a thriving economy and we’re taking our responsibility seriously, providing more routes into employment. It’s now the responsibility of young people to take them.”
The DfE added that the £3.6 million being allocated to Brighton and Hove City Council was on top of £100 million over the next four years to expand skills bootcamps in construction.
The £100 million sum was announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spring statement to fund 16-week courses in skills such as groundworks, bricklaying, carpentry and heat pump installation.
The DfE announcement mentioned Labour’s “plan for change” – six milestones set out by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last December after the budget, just over a month earlier, appeared to deflate hopes of economic growth.
