Approval for £4 million Skills Transition Centre at Forth Valley College

Forming part of the £100 million Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal signed by the UK and Scottish Governments as well as Falkirk Council, the STC will support more than 1000 students annually into employment over the next ten years.

The college hosted the inaugural meeting of the STC steering group at its Falkirk campus last month, where representatives from industry, training bodies and public sector organisations met to agree the way forward for bringing together partners to develop the skills to support the transition to net zero.

The STC will focus on skills development to respond to the needs of emerging sectors and support transitioning industries including down-stream petroleum, chemicals and polymers based in the Grangemouth cluster. This will be delivered through the £4 million planned investment in state-of-the-art equipment, and new and enhanced courses. Over the next ten years this will be accompanied by an associated skills development programme.

New equipment will include virtual reality and augmented reality simulation, robotics, drones, bioreactor kit, a digital studio and digital classrooms.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, said: “The Scottish Government’s £50 million investment in the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal will ensure the area continues to thrive, attracting new jobs and providing future skills.

“It includes £4 million for the Skills Transition Centre, with training to grasp the opportunities of the move to net zero in a region which sits at the forefront of innovation and manufacturing in Scotland. I am pleased that this is moving ahead to ensure we equip the regional workforce for the just transition to a greener economy.”

Kenny MacInnes, principal of Forth Valley College, said: “We are delighted to get the business case fully approved so that we can begin the work of delivering the Skills TransitionCentre for the people of Falkirk and Grangemouth. We are excited about implementing our plans and can’t wait to do what we do best to make learning work for our communities.”

Colin McMurray, vice principal of Forth Valley College, who will also be chairing the STC Steering Group, added: “I was honoured to Chair the first meeting of the STC Steering group and very pleased to report that we got off to a very productive start. We have a wide range of skills, expertise and experience on the Steering Group and I am confident that together we will deliver the skills needed to support the transition to Net Zero in the Falkirk and Grangemouth area.”