£1m boost for skills projects across Hastings and Rother

A RANGE of projects designed to support training and boost employability across Hastings and Rother will share Government funding worth £1 million.

East Sussex County Council will distribute the Skills Capital Fund between a total of 11 projects that will help enhance the local skills and training offer in line with the priorities of Skills East Sussex, the local multi-agency strategic skills board.

The Board’s aim is to support the local economy and residents by ensuring a skilled workforce and relevant training for young people and adults. It also focuses on maximising the benefits of future opportunities related to new technology and net zero.

Organisations were invited to bid for a share of the funding, awarded to Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council, and 23 bids were assessed by a panel which included Rother, Hastings and East Sussex councils and the Local Skills Improvement Partnership.

The successful projects include the creation of a new digital skills classroom at East Sussex College, a project to support adults with learning disabilities and autism, the development of virtual reality healthcare training at Bexhill College, mobile training units for the land-based sector in rural Sussex and the creation of a community carpentry studio.

Cllr Penny di Cara, the county council’s lead member for economy, said: “The Skills Capital Fund will make a huge difference to so many people in the Hastings and Rother area, and we are delighted to have been able to work with colleagues at borough and district councils to distribute the money among extremely worthy projects.

“The successful projects will address the needs of specific groups of learners in our community, target sectors where we expect to see growth, and use the latest in cutting edge technology to enhance the quality of local skills and training.

“Whilst we received bids from many amazing projects, those taken forward met the priorities of the Skills East Sussex Board and address gaps in local skills provision.”

The successful grant recipients are;

Hastings

  • East Sussex College, Ore Valley Campus – Creation of a new digital skills and immersive employability classroom using Virtual Reality technology
  • Little Gate Supported Employment – Resourcing the Work & Thrive Project, supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism
  • Parchment Trust Limited – Creation of accessible skills training suite and hub at the Bridge Community Centre
  • Plumpton College – Creation of a practical skills workshop and plant-growing facility at The Firs, supported with classroom technology for the horticulture, arboriculture, agriculture, and land management sectors
  • Project Art Works – Accessible improvements at the Arches, enabling more learning-disabled children, young people and adults to study art and develop their creative practice
  • The Guildhall Trust, The White Rock – Creation of a creative digital skills training suite at the White Rock Theatre

Rother

  • Bexhill College – Development of specialist healthcare training, using the latest Virtual Reality technologies to attract and retain talent in this priority sector
  • Flatland Projects CIC – Development at Beeching Road Studios, including community carpentry studio, mezzanine space and equipment to expand creative career pathway opportunities for local people
  • Little Gate Supported Employment – Resources and equipment to expand Supported Internships and the Future Ready Programmes for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
  • People Matter Limited – Resources to support Job Fairs, helping people into work
  • Plumpton College – At the Hub on Rye Hill, creation of technology-equipped classroom, an equipment library for horticulture tools, machinery and equipment, providing real life learning in grounds maintenance and mobile unit to demonstrate and teach land-based career opportunities and skills across the community

More information about the work of Skills East Sussex can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/business/support/employment-skills-training/skills-east-sussex

The Skills Capital Fund is being managed by East Sussex County Council on behalf of Rother District Council and Hastings Borough Council and is part of funding allocated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government under the previous Government.

Ends.