Skills & Research /
If businesses are to flourish under the Britain’s Energy Coast™ banner, it is vital that West Cumbria has a strong skills base that centres around a wide range of internationally renowned research facilities.
The sub region already boasts a level of “knowledge based enterprises” that are well above the regional and national averages; and there are a number of well established research facilities of national significance, such as the British Technology Centre at Sellafield.
However, these assets need to be strengthened to support a globally competitive energy and environmental technology cluster. The Skills and Research section of the Masterplan aims to ensure that there is a supply of the skills needed to take advantage of changes in the nuclear sector and new energy markets. It is also geared towards providing new research and training facilities that will feed in directly to businesses to help them grow.
The skills agenda is also central to creating higher paid jobs in West Cumbria, and in turn will assist the ongoing campaigns to retain graduates and young people. Young people are the lifeblood of any regeneration initiative because it will be this key age bracket that will ensure the benefits of the investment over the next 20 years will thrive for future generations.
