Tuesday, 03 November 2009 21:23 The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills has won £5m funding for a new national centre in Thurrock, Essex.

The state-of-the-art development will serve as a training venue and administrative hub. It will also increase existing regional FE options by allowing a more dynamic range of practice, from technical theatre to live music and events.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) supports 13 National Academies in total, as part of its commitment to meet employers’ skill needs and supporting the Government’s New Industry, New Jobs agenda. The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills is still a relatively new organisation, but has already recruited 19 FE colleges as its Founder College network, which covers all regions of England. It currently has 178 employers, including all the national and regional theatres and live music venues.

Kevin Brennan, minister for Further Education, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, said: "Creative industries are increasingly important to the UK economy and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills plays a vital role in supporting them and tackling skills shortages, especially in technical level skills.

"We’re really glad this new project in Thurrock has got the go-ahead today, providing opportunities for people to learn world-class skills in technical theatre and live music. It’s going ahead thanks to partnership working between a number of agencies including Government with support from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport."

Tom Bewick, group chief executive of The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills, said: "The National Skills Academy is fundamentally important to a live performance sector that generates over £6 billion per year for the UK economy. It will provide world class training in the technical theatre and live music production industries. It will also enable young people to learn from industry professionals, from backstage theatre professionals to bands.

"The LSC will now work with the National Skills Academy to progress proposals for the innovative employer-designed training facility, which will be jointly funded in partnership with employers, training providers and other partners such as the Regional Development Agency and the Arts Council."

Mr Brennan added: "This is an important time to make vital investment in improving the skills of the workforce. That’s why we continue to help people access the training they need to get into and get on at work, and in turn make sure that key sectors such as the Creative and Cultural industries are best placed to win those jobs of the future.

"This Government continues to invest in National Skills Academies because we want to build a system which meets the needs of businesses and individuals and creates a world-beating workforce which will support the industry’s future development."

(Pictured: FE minister Kevin Brennan)