Mayor to invest £82 million in skills training for Londoners

Thousands of Londoners set to benefit – including young people not in employment, education or training

Skills providers who work with offenders encouraged to apply for funding

Further education colleges and training providers across the capital are being invited to bid for a share of £82 million from the Mayor of London to help thousands more Londoners, particularly young people, get the skills and jobs they need to succeed.

Since taking office, Sadiq has made clear his commitment to ensuring Londoners of all ages and backgrounds can acquire the skills they need for employment – and to helping businesses of all sizes access the talent they need.

Today the Mayor launched the second round of his Skills for Londoners Capital Fund which is set to benefit thousands of Londoners, including young people not in employment, education or training (NEET). One of the areas focussed on is offender learning, which could include further education providers working with prisons or young offender institutions to provide the skills offenders need to get jobs on release and reduce reoffending.

The funding will enable London’s further education colleges and other education and training providers to invest in new, top-quality facilities and equipment. £7.2 million has been earmarked for the Mayor’s Construction Academy – a network of high-quality construction skills providers across London working closely with construction employers, which Sadiq launched in June.

This new funding round is part of a total pot of £114 million, made available by the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). LEAP is the Local Enterprise Partnership for London and is chaired by the Mayor. The total funding forms part of the wider £324 million Growth Deal secured from central Government and allocated through the LEAP. More than £25 million was invested through the first funding round earlier this year.

The latest funding round will focus on supporting projects tackling the following areas:

• empowering all Londoners to access the education and skills to participate in society and progress in education and work;
• meeting the needs of London’s economy and employers, now and in the future; and
• delivering a strategic city-wide technical skills and adult education offer.

More widely, the Mayor is also committed to meeting the skills gap which will be created in London and across the country when the UK leaves the European Union – and the investment in training Londoners in key areas through the Skills for Londoners Capital Fund will help address this.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London has one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic economies but many Londoners are not able to share in the prosperity it brings. As Mayor, I’m determined to tackle these challenges head on.

“I firmly believe Londoners should have the skills to succeed in a fair, inclusive society and thriving economy. This funding will ensure the capital’s skills and education sector has the top quality facilities needed to train thousands more Londoners and help them into work – and that London’s businesses can access the talent they need.”

LEAP board member Natalie Campbell, said: “We are delighted to work with the Mayor in helping him realise his ambition for a more skilled workforce in the capital and helping more Londoners gain the specific tools they need to succeed in the city’s ever-changing economy.

“World-leading skills providers need first-class facilities and I look forward to seeing how this funding will benefit learners for years to come.”

London Director of the Association of Colleges, Mary Vine-Morris, said: “This is a hugely welcome investment in post-16 technical and vocational education. There are over 360,000 students in colleges across London, playing a key role in meeting the city’s skills needs. They and their employers deserve world class facilities.

“The first round of the Skills for Londoners Capital Fund is already having a positive impact on the sector and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to change the face of further education in London.”

Director of Finance at Morley College London, Rachel Burgess, said: “Thanks to the Skills for Londoners capital grant awarded to Morley College London in the first funding round earlier this year, the new facilities will help us meet ever more effectively the skills needs of an increasing number of Londoners and of the communities of place and practice the College serves.

“We look forward to the transformation that this project will bring about, making the College more accessible and adaptable to a wide range of learners.”