EEDA - East of England Development Agency

£4.5m pioneering skills initiative for regional economy

20 February 2009

Businesses across the six counties of the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk) are set to benefit from a £4.5 million investment in skills and training.

A new partnership, called Landskills East, has been set up to provide rural businesses with improved access to skills and training opportunities in the region.

LandSkills East funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and managed by East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is an innovative and tailored approach to providing the skills that will be required by the region’s land-based sector in the twenty-first century.

The project brings a new focus to skills, enterprise and knowledge transfer with delivery partners across the region offering a range of vocational training for employees, alongside higher level training for managers and owners.  Key features will be the technical and managerial skills that are required to improve products and leadership, as well as business efficiency, competitiveness, and development.

The programme has been designed specifically for the needs of business across the East of England. For example, as England’s driest region, the six counties face significant challenges with water resources. As a response to this, the specialist components of the higher-level training on offer caters for the needs of future water resources management.

Additionally, LandSkills East will develop courses responding to the changing needs of the region, with the aim of enhancing long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Richard Ellis, chair of EEDA, said:

“The importance of skills and training cannot be overestimated, especially in the current economic climate. Investment in skills, along with maintaining a focus on the region’s key economic sectors of research and development and innovation, will help ensure the East of England is best-placed to capitalise on the upturn when it comes.  This is one of the key reasons why EEDA asked the skills providers across the region to consider how best to work together to deliver exactly what the sector requires.”

Easton College in Norfolk, and Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, are managing and co-ordinating the skills aspect of the programme across the East of England. Working with a wide range of partners they will provide expert training provision to rural businesses and be responsive to the needs of the sector.

David Lawrence, Principal at Easton College said:

“I am very pleased that the college has been successful in winning these important regional contracts for managing the delivery of vocational and higher-level skills training throughout the East of England. Easton College will be developing a partnership with a range of delivery partners across the region to enable a flexible range of courses where the need is identified.”

Madge Moore, Lantra National Director said:

“We are delighted to be involved in co-ordinating this partnership approach to delivery and look forward to working with Landskills East to deliver an effective and tailored training programme to businesses in the region.’