West Midlands Business Training Initiative Celebrates Milestone with Government Praise

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 48 seconds

Digital Skills

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Quick Read: The Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire initiative, which bridges the gap between education and business, has received praise from Skills Minister Jacqui Smith for its impact on addressing skills shortages and workforce development.

A West Midlands initiative bridging the gap between education and business has received praise from Skills Minister Jacqui Smith on its first anniversary, recognising its role in addressing regional skills shortages and supporting workforce development.

Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire, a partnership between further education colleges and independent training providers, celebrated its milestone with an awards event at PwC’s offices in Birmingham on March 7. The event honoured employers investing in skills and training, while highlighting the initiative’s impact on aligning education with real industry needs.

Government Recognition for Skills Development

Established to support the West Midlands Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), the initiative promotes collaboration between local businesses and education providers, ensuring training opportunities are more accessible and aligned with workforce demands.

Speaking at the event, Skills Minister Baroness Smith of Malvern commended the programme’s efforts:

"Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire is a model for how the system should work—bringing education providers and businesses together to close skills gaps and create real opportunities for people of all ages."

She emphasised the importance of high-quality training, work experience, and career guidance, stating that collaborative efforts between employers and further education providers are shifting the focus from competition to partnership, strengthening the workforce in key regional industries.

Building Stronger Business-Education Partnerships

Suzie Branch-Haddow, Chair of the Skills WM+W Steering Group and Vice Principal at BMet, highlighted the tangible benefits of employer engagement in education:

"Businesses that collaborate with further education institutions see improvements in recruitment, staff retention, and productivity. Our mission is to break down barriers, connect employers with training solutions, and ultimately change lives."

Over the next year, Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire aims to:

- Expand partnerships with SMEs

- Improve employer satisfaction in skills and training provision

- Encourage co-creation of training programmes tailored to industry needs

The initiative also launched three Innovation Hubs, backed by WMCA and Innovate UK, focusing on technology adoption and training for small businesses, further driving regional economic growth.

A Vision for the Future

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker reinforced the importance of collaborative training initiatives in tackling unemployment and preparing the workforce for high-growth industries:

"By strengthening employer relationships and improving training delivery, we can unlock opportunities for people and help businesses thrive. Initiatives like Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire are crucial in building the workforce of the future."

With strong government backing and a commitment to lifelong learning, the programme continues to equip individuals with the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to succeed, ensuring the West Midlands remains a hub for innovation, employment, and business growth.

What's new

Innovation Accelerator Pilot Programme Creates More Than £140m Co-investment With 250 Jobs

A UK government-backed innovation programme has delivered a major boost to regional economies, generating more than £140 million in new investment and creating up to 250 full-time equivalent jobs across the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Glasgow City Region.

Funded by Innovate UK, working with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), early impacts emerging from the Innovation Accelerator pilot programme demonstrate it is already delivering significant economic outcomes.

Launched in April 2022, the pilot programme pioneers a new funding approach, co-created with local leadership to fast-track high-growth industries and harness regional strengths.

Glasgow City Region is demonstrating the power and impact of the triple helix model- combining public sector backing, academic expertise, and private sector investment. This collaborative approach is accelerating innovation to market, creating high-quality local jobs, building sustainable supply chains, and has already leveraged over £47 million in private sector investment.

Greater Manchester is using the Innovation Accelerator to advance its strengths in advanced materials and manufacturing, digital and tech, low carbon and health innovation, while placing a strong emphasis on social inclusion. The Centre for Digital Innovation project has offered skills development and community outreach to all 10 of the city-region’s boroughs through its network of further education colleges, while the Turing Innovation Catalyst is helping people from underrepresented groups develop a career in AI.

Meanwhile, West Midlands is accelerating R&D and innovation strengths in greener technologies and improved personalised and digital healthcare, diversifying its economy while boosting supply chains. Furthermore, indications show by the end of 2025, 161 jobs will have been created in the region through this programme.

With an initial £100 million investment, plus a £30 million extension secured for 2025/26, this pilot is generating regional growth and vibrant innovation ecosystems.

The Innovation Accelerator pilot is also bringing new technology, products and services to market:

In the West Midlands, the

Clean Futures

programme helped to develop a new coating for EV batteries to extend their life, while also supporting startup

Moonbility

, to create an AI ‘digital twin’ platform to help rail operators respond faster to disruptions in a proof-of-concept for London North Eastern Railway.

The Government is building on its success through a Local Innovation Partnerships Fund of up to £500m, which is part of the

wider £86 billion of R&D funding

announced ahead of the Spending Review to turbo-charge the fastest growing sectors, from tech and life sciences, to advanced manufacturing and defence.

The new fund will empower local leaders across the UK to target their research investment in the region, boosting high skilled jobs and igniting growth across the country – the core mission of the government’s Plan for Change.

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said:

These findings show the important part that leaders who know their regions best can play in capitalising on local strengths to improve lives and create new jobs, from healthcare to space technology and advanced manufacturing to AI. This government is building on these promising investments into Glasgow, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, with up to £500m of further local partnership funding for regions in every corner of the UK, so that more excellent, local expertise can be channelled into driving economic growth.

Dean Cook, Executive Director for Place and Global at Innovate UK, added:

The Innovation Accelerator pilot has proven the power of place-based innovation to unlock economic potential and transform regional R&D ecosystems. By building on the distinct strengths of the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Glasgow City Region, we’ve seen clusters of innovation flourish by attracting significant co-investment, creating new products and services, and delivering hundreds of high-value jobs.
At the heart of our approach lies the principle of co-creation, recognising the wisdom of local people with a deep understanding of local strengths to be built upon. This local knowledge is complemented by Innovate UK’s reach as the national innovation agency, linking these regional clusters with opportunities provided by national and international networks. The Innovation Accelerator pilot has proven to be a strategic commitment to developing thriving innovation clusters that continues to drive long-term prosperity for the UK.

To discover how Innovate UK's Innovation Accelerator pilot is shaping the future of innovation across West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Glasgow City Region, visit the

Innovate UK Business Connect

website.

By Innovate UK

6 Jun