The MP for Warwick and Leamington visited Warwick Trident College for a launch event of new adult learning facilities across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Matt Western MP attended the event which launched college group WCG’s new Coventry & Warwickshire Adult Learning (CWAL) facilities – which will be helping to develop a new talent pipeline for the automotive, construction and railway industries.
The event attracted employers from across the area to find out more about the new facilities and also saw attendees given a tour of the recently completed electric vehicle (EV) training facility at Warwick Trident College.
Western, who chairs both the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Electric Vehicles and the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group, was shown around the new training facility and spoke with representatives from the college about the importance of developing new facilities for electric vehicle training.
The event saw presentations from individuals associated with each of the three facilities being launched – the construction facility at Moreton Morrell College, the simulation rail track also at Moreton Morrell, and the EV workshop at Warwick Trident.
Western took a keen interest in the construction facility, and posed questions to Tony Rouse, head of construction operations at WCG, on what colleges and education can do in order to support the development of modern, energy efficient homes and buildings.
Tony Booth, from training company Miretur, gave a presentation about the training programmes being developed at the EV training workshop.
Also presenting on the evening was Simon Smithers, Head of Engineering at WCG. He discussed the rail track simulation facility, its partnership with RMF Group and how the facility will be developing skilled individuals to support major rail infrastructure projects in the region, such as HS2.
Matt Western MP said: “I was delighted to attend the event launching the Coventry & Warwickshire Adult Learning facilities. Warwickshire College Group is a vital part of our community and continues to go from strength to strength.
“In Parliament I’ve been vocal about the need to quickly transition to electric vehicles to help tackle the climate emergency.
“A crucial part of this challenge is providing local people with the skills to be able to deliver it – that’s why facilities like the new electric vehicle facility at Warwick Trident College are so important.”
Investment in the three facilities at WCG comes after Coventry and Warwickshire secured funding totalling more than £5 million from the Government’s Skills Accelerator programme, which incorporates the Local Skills Improvement Plan Traiblazers and Strategic Development Fund pilots.
Funding was securing through a successful group bid alongside other colleges, to help create facilities to support educational provision which meets the skills demands of the region
Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, added: “This was a fantastic opportunity to launch the new facilities across our group and we would like to thank Matt Western for joining us on the evening.
“Each of these new facilities is responding directly to an identified need in the regional economy and will support the development of talent for these key industries.
“We have worked closely with experts to ensure that these facilities will help to provide exactly the skills that modern industry requires. We look forward to working with employers to make the best use of these facilities and showcasing them to prospective students.”
To find out more about Coventry & Warwickshire Adult Learning visit www.adultlearningcw.co.uk