We currently have 28 Growth Deal projects making extraordinary progress towards completion and a further six which have already finalised and are operational.

These major projects have received funding via the LEP from the Government’s Single Local Growth Fund.  Those with a skills focus are highlighted here.

Important skills projects have accelerated this year through the £7.34m Skills Capital Investment Fund Programme. This programme was established to support projects that will result in an increase in the talent pool that employers can recruit from locally and an upskilled workforce within our priority sectors.  Recent projects completed include: The Digital Skills Centre in Stamford College, supporting learning on cyber security, mobile technologies, green IT and cloud computing, all drivers for high level skills needs within the digital sector; the EMAT (Engineering, Manufacturing and Technology) Centre at Boston College, showcasing an industry-driven training facility supporting careers in the agri-food, engineering and manufacturing sectors and which is on track to produce 875 new learners and 175 apprenticeships by March 2021; and the Technical and Business Skills Innovation Hub (University Campus North Lincolnshire) – DN Colleges Group, Scunthorpe, which is a capital refurbishment project to created educational learning spaces which will enable 1,858 new learners.

Another exciting skills project is a new campus-based approach to skills delivery with the University of Lincoln as a key partner. The Grantham University Technology & Innovation Centre is responding to local employer needs in Grantham town centre and is housed in the new cinema complex building offering higher and degree level apprenticeships, diplomas and short courses while also being a local contact point for businesses. 

The new Digital Technology Transport & Logistics Academy at Boston College focuses on developing port skills, crane operations, construction plant, including fork lift truck skills, steel erecting, stevedoring, leadership and management and digital skills, all critically important as we begin to harness the opportunities in Greater Lincolnshire's port and logistics sector.

A game-changing scheme, the new Lincoln Medical School on the University of Lincoln’s Brayford campus, is shaping up to be a superb, high-quality integrated clinical facility which will drive skills development across the fields of medicine and allied health subjects to combine teaching facilities with innovation and within a zero carbon building.

And pivotal to our aspirations to be a global leader in the food industry and supply chains, the flagship LEP project to create an Agri-Food Centre of Excellence in Holbeach is starting to take shape. The centre will deliver innovation support services and research along with relevant skills provision for Greater Lincolnshire's agri-food businesses as part of the new South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ). It will strengthen Greater Lincolnshire's position as a key player in the agri-tech sector, positioning the sector as a national leader in this field.