So much to take forward from 'Future of Vehicle Electrification' Skills Summit
As a leader in the field, the Coventry & Warwickshire region was the logical host for a recent Skills Summit on the Future of Vehicle Electrification. The event showcased all that is happening now and what is coming down the track in the sector and offered plenty of food for thought...as Warwickshire County Council Inward Investment Manager (Automotive, Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing Lead) Ian Flynn reports.
The pressures of environmental change and reform of vehicle regulations and laws are driving rapid change in automotive with the UK moving to a phase out of Internal Combustion Engines by 2030. This means it is more vital than ever that our region has the right skills supply to support industry to adapt, develop and grow over the coming decades.
With this in mind, Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council brought together industry and education partners to review the skills, challenges and opportunities ahead. We did this at a Future of Vehicle Electrification Skills Summit on November 18 at MIRA Technology Institute and an earlier Skills Panel at the Engineering Design Show at the CBS Arena on October 19.
Discussions at the events were fascinating and constructive. They focused on the importance of educating, upskilling and recruiting new talent to support the development of the local supply chain and the needs of new investments locally such as the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the West Midlands 'Giga-factory' in Coventry & Warwickshire.
Key facts
- Coventry & Warwickshire directly employ 50,000 people in future transport technology R&D, design, test and development and manufacturing.
- Gigafactory will directly employ 6,000 and a further 15,000 indirectly.
- Local supply chain strengths lie in a strong talent supply and a unique design, R&D, test and development and manufacturing eco-system.
- Recent investments locally include UKBIC and from OEMs Rimac, REE Auto and Lotus Engineering and Octopus Hydrogen.
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CWLEP Reset Framework
Post pandemic, our objective is to develop and implement a newly focused, partnership-led Strategic Framework to reset our economy for a successful, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future.
Our ambition remains to keep Coventry and Warwickshire as a safe and highly attractive place to live, study, work, and invest. We will also need to be agile to respond to changing conditions as they occur in the future - and any relevant new developments and actions will be included in future iterations of our Implementation Plan.
Driving the Electric Revolution
This challenge is investing £80 million in electrification technologies including power electronics, electric machines and drives (PEMD). The investment will support the UK’s push towards a net-zero carbon economy and contribute to the development of clean technology supply chains, worth £80 billion in gross domestic product by 2050.
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Skills and Recruitment
National Electrification Skills Framework
A national approach to re-skilling, up-skilling and new-skilling the workforce for the electric revolution has been established by WMG, University of Warwick alongside the Faraday Institution and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult in their report: ‘The Opportunity for a National Electrification Skills Framework and Forum’
Warwickshire Skills Hub
Warwickshire County Council's Skills team work directly with businesses to provide support for recruitment and skills, as well as schools and communities to create a well skilled population that meets the needs of Warwickshire’s evolving economy.
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The Employment & Skills Service is part of Coventry City Council, providing a wide range of support to all Coventry residents, of all ages, who are looking for work. It works with partners across the city and the Employer Hub actively works with employers to generate opportunities for local people. Coventry Jobs Shop
MIRA Technology Institute
MIRA Technology Institute is a bespoke global centre for skills, developing specialist skills in key areas of emerging automotive technology. MIRA Technology Institute
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Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub
Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Hub offers one-to-one advice and ongoing support to businesses in the region. Providing a ‘front-door’ to the vast range of business support initiatives and programmes on offer locally and nationally, the experienced team of business advisors work closely with local SMEs to identify the best resources for each business.
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Invest Coventry & Warwickshire offerhttps://www.engineeringdesignshow.co.uk/s free and confidential services to businesses looking to relocate or expand within the area. It can help with site search, demographic information and access to local networks.
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