Bolsover District Council has successfully bid for a £249,914 grant from EMIZ (East Midlands Investment Zone) for the development of a feasibility study for a Green Skills Hub.
The council is developing the Green Skills Hub at Portland Drive in Shirebrook, which is being funded through the UK Government Regeneration Fund.
The construction and fit out of a new subregional green skills centre will be housed in 9,000 sq ft of new industrial workspace.
It will accommodate a retrofit training hub delivering demonstrator zones of existing residential/commercial buildings, training rooms to deliver accredited training for the installation of green technologies and a workspace for training on additional green technologies, such as electric vehicles, air and gas source heat pumps and other new emerging systems/products.
The Hub is being developed as part of the council’s long-term strategy to develop green and retrofit skills across the district and the study is being undertaken by RLB Rider Levett Bucknall.
It builds on research that the council led on (conducted for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) which identified the need for ‘green skills’ locally and work done with local colleges and employers to develop a green skills pathway from training to employment.
In 2024 the council helped win external funding of £125,000 to pay for training rigs at local colleges and universities to develop their green skills teaching.
The cash will be used to develop the ‘offering’ of the Green Skills Hub including:
- Development of the education strand of the project, working with local colleges and universities.
- Development of careers support and driving recruitment for courses.
- Community liaison to develop courses and training relevant to the local community.
- Development of a low carbon private and public sector training delivery hub for local businesses to use.
- Developing an employer needs analysis linking programme plans to industry needs and capital design plans.
Cabinet Member for Growth, Councillor John Ritchie said: “These are exciting times for the district and we are delighted to have secured this funding and look forward to working with RLB to progress our green skills hub.
“Green energy is the future and is big business. So, by developing our own Green Skills Hub where we can offer courses to local residents to improve their skills and knowledge or assist businesses develop their plans, then we can take advantage of the benefits on offer.
“The manufacturing industries are rapidly moving towards green skills so this is us preparing for this shift and having a facility ready and available to train and upskill the next generation of workers.”
The application also includes a ‘follow on’ project, that if funded by EMIZ, will fund the kit out of the Hub and resource funding for training and one employee to co-ordinate and accelerate the delivery of activities following completion of the build out.
