Equipping students with the skills needed for future local employment

A unique pilot project has been approved in Pembrokeshire that will bring together students and companies that specialise in the renewable energy sector, creating an industry led framework on Blue-Green Energy which will prepare young talent for upcoming local job opportunities.  

This is the first pilot project to be approved by the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership (RLSP). This is part of the £30 million Swansea Bay City Deal Skills and Talent Programme where Pembrokeshire College, Pembrokeshire County Councill and local businesses will work in collaboration to deliver the Pembrokeshire Passport to Employment. 

Starting in September 2022, students aged between 5- 19 years old will benefit from this project and it will be taught by Pembrokeshire College, Milford Haven Secondary School and Ysgol Harri Tudur via five key strands. Students will learn about renewable energy including wave, tidal and solar energy, and offshore and onshore wind with help from companies that specialise in this field including EDF Renewables UK DP Energy, Blue Gem Wind, Bombora Wave and Ore Catapult.  

This exciting project has been developed by working closely with the Swansea Bay City Deal Pembroke Dock Marine project. It identifies skill gaps in current education frameworks for the teaching of renewable energy, to where there is expected to be a high demand for workers in the future through the City Deal and other public and private sector projects.   

Cllr Rob Stewart, Chairman of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s Joint Committee said “It is great to see the approval of the first Swansea Bay City Deal Skills and Talent pilot scheme and fantastic to see two of our projects working together to create much needed teaching on renewable energy. We hope this pilot scheme in the Milford Haven cluster area will be a successful as we anticipate it will be rolled out to other areas across Pembrokeshire, South West Wales and nationally in the coming years.”

“We are certain that this pioneering initiative will ensure that the students will be ready for a job in the renewable energy sector, and by building on our local industry expertise we hope to create a centre of excellence for renewable energy in the Pembrokeshire. It will transform the employment prosperity for the county and more widely for the region and will work alongside other initiatives that will develop the skills of our existing workforce too.” 

“The Skills and Talent Programme interlinks with all other 8 City Deal projects and will help us to grow our region, by retaining our talented students through providing opportunities for them to stay local when they are ready for employment. We are in the process of reviewing other pilot projects proposals and hope to make announcements soon about more exciting initiatives that will help shape or future.”

Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change at Pembrokeshire County Council added “As a local authority we are committed to working with our partners to help ensure we provide our young people with the tools that will enable this region to have a highly skilled, engineering, science and technology workforce for the next generation.”

Barry Walters, Principal of Pembrokeshire College said “We are delighted that the partnership approach between Pembrokeshire County Council, local energy companies and ourselves has been the first project to be approved through the Skills and Talent Strand of the Swansea Bay City Deal.  We look forward to the implementation of a number of innovative initiatives commencing in September which will raise awareness of renewable energy and help to provide the young people of the county with the skills sets needed for future employment. ”