The city of Plymouth is among the largest beneficiaries of new Government investment designed to enable thousands more young people to be equipped with the skills needed for a career in the defence sector. Together, the University of Plymouth and City College Plymouth have received a combined £9million through the Office for Students (OfS) Defence Related Skills Funding Competition.
The University of Plymouth plans to use its allocation of £7million to expand opportunities for students in programmes that are key to defence, security and resilience at a regional and national level.
It will use up to £1.7m to enhance teaching facilities across its campus, while up to £5.3m will be invested between now and 2031 to increase the numbers of students on degree courses including civil and mechanical engineering, computer science, robotics and artificial intelligence.
With more than 2,500 Plymouth graduates already working in the defence sector, the planned investment will further bolster the University’s contribution to the UK defence workforce. Meanwhile, City College Plymouth has been awarded more than £2m to expand its higher-level engineering, computing and cyber security education.
It has secured just over £1.6m in programme funding, and a further £410,358 in capital investment, to support the delivery of additional student places and specialist facilities. This will create capacity for over 200 additional higher education student places across a range of defence-related disciplines, including marine engineering, marine autonomous vehicles, cyber security, computer science and integrated technologies engineering.
Defence Growth Deal
The announcement comes at a critical time for the South West and the wider UK defence sector, and builds on a number of recent successes that are reinforcing Plymouth’s status as a city on the up and a place where people can come to live, work, study and succeed.
Many of these are being driven through Team Plymouth, the city-wide consortium in which the University of Plymouth and City College Plymouth are core partners, and they include the investment of £50million in Plymouth through the Defence Growth Deal.
Professor Richard Davies, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said: “This is fantastic news for the University of Plymouth and comes at a time of real opportunity in Plymouth and across the South West. I hope this investment will reinforce the message that this is a place where people can come to learn and earn, enjoying successful careers alongside a fantastic quality of life. Our defence and security businesses urgently need a pipeline of highly-skilled workers and, through this and other initiatives, we are working together to deliver that.”
Jackie Grubb, CEO of City College Plymouth, said: “This award recognises the essential role City College Plymouth plays in developing the skilled workforce needed to support both regional economic growth and national priorities. This significant investment will support vital growth across multiple marine engineering, autonomy and digital disciplines in our city and beyond, and will have a direct and positive impact on families and communities. Plymouth is home to one of the UK’s most important defence, marine and advanced engineering clusters. This funding will allow us to expand opportunities for students, invest in specialist facilities and equipment, and strengthen our partnerships with employers to ensure learners develop the skills needed for highly rewarding careers in these strategically important sectors.”
The funding forms part of an £80million investment package awarded to 24 universities and colleges across England, and they will be tasked with creating almost 2,500 new student places over five years starting from this autumn.
In its announcement, the Government says the funding delivers on the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to boost the pipeline of skilled workers who can contribute to the UK’s national security.
HMNB Devonport
Luke Pollard MP, Member or Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “Plymouth’s defence sector is motoring thanks to brilliant companies, a rising defence budget and investment in new docks and technologies. What we now need are more people with the skills to support our national security. This funding for courses that support defence and dual use careers helps show again that defence is an engine for growth. This funding is a green light to creating more well-paid, good jobs right here in Plymouth helping keep our nation safe.”
The ambition is for the University and College – working together, and with partners across industry and society – to address the current higher-level skills shortfall and meet demands created by sustained investment at HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in western Europe.
This will also ensure a strong pipeline of graduates for the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence, defence primes with bases in Plymouth, the regional supply chain and the rapidly developing dual-use marine autonomy sector.
John Gane, the Managing Director of Babcock International Group’s Devonport facility, said: “We welcome the announcement of this important funding, which reflects both the scale of the opportunity in defence-related skills and the strength of our long-standing partnership with both the University of Plymouth and City College Plymouth. This investment will further strengthen the alignment between industry and academia, helping to equip learners with the advanced technical skills and future-focused capabilities industry needs. Through Team Plymouth, we already see the tangible impact of close collaboration across business, education and civic partners and this funding will accelerate our shared ambition to develop a highly skilled, diverse workforce and drive sustainable growth for the city and the wider UK defence enterprise.”
