Five new skills training centres across south east Scotland are to be created with £25m of UK Government funding.
The funding will provide a green light for major new housing and green skills hubs across four areas including Scottish Borders.
The investment is part of an overall award of £37.8m for Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region from the UK Government's Local Growth Fund and will support future housing delivery, retrofit and green economy jobs in the region.
Funding
Additionally, the funds will drive regional employability and business growth initiatives, while financing transport planning and research into the impact of AI.
The UK Government has now released £14.09m to Edinburgh and South East Scotland Regional Partnership after signing off on its locally designed three-year Local Growth Fund investment plan, which targets areas with the lowest household incomes to create jobs and boost living standards. Funding for Years 2 and 3 will be rolled out as the region progresses through its plans.
Leader of Scottish Borders Council, Councillor Euan Jardine
“This investment is an important opportunity for the South of Scotland and will help ensure we have the skills needed to support future housing delivery, retrofit and growth in the green economy.
“It will create valuable opportunities for our young people and existing workforce to gain new skills and qualifications, while helping local businesses meet the demands of a changing economy.
“I look forward to seeing the training hub develop and the benefits it will bring to communities and employers across the Scottish Borders."
New partnership
A partnership between the four regional colleges of Borders, Edinburgh, Fife, and West Lothian plans to train over 20,000 new entrants across the region over the coming decade as well as upskill existing workers.
South East Scotland is the fastest growing region in Scotland, with some of the highest housing demand for now and into the future. The new training hubs will be strategically important in the delivery of 40,000 new homes across the region’s seven strategic housing sites.
The training centre in the south of Scotland will also benefit from Scottish Government funding through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.