Page 86 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2019

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The project will monitor the health and well-being aspects of warmer homes and the reduction in fuel poverty. A pilot scheme to help inform the Homes as Power Stations concept is already being developed in Neath. With this project in mind, consideration should be given to developing career pathways that are suitable for the construction industry and further training in carbon reducing technologies is needed to ensure learn-
ers are best placed for jobs that require specific skills in construction.
Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Services96
The Swansea Bay Technology Centre located at Baglan Energy Park will provide approximately 2,500m2 of quality, flexible office space to support start-up companies and indigenous businesses.
The design of the Centre will incorporate building materials to establish it as a ‘building as a power station’ to demonstrate how this innovative concept can be applied to a commercial building.
The centre will be the HQ for the Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Services. CENGS will be staffed by commercial and technical experts, and will provide world class data analytics resources capable of transforming ideas into commercial services and solutions.
This centre of excellence is expected to bring education and enterprise together to create jobs, which will create demand for a skilled and a specialist workforce capable of running businesses, undertaking research and product testing.
Steel Science
The Steel Science project will create a new National Steel Innovation Centre in Neath Port Talbot, which will provide an open access facility for the steel and metal supply chain. A range of world class research, testing and simulation activities will be carried out at the Centre with regional companies and global enterprises, helping forge stronger links between industry and academia.
Building on the success of Swansea University’s Steel and Metals Institute, this collaborative cluster approach will enable a seamless exchange of knowledge, while focusing on innovative solutions that will safeguard the steelmaking sector access the City Region and beyond.
The strong presence of steel industry in the area will give local people with transferable skills more work opportunities and will enable steel businesses in the area to expand in ways not previously possible. Increased capacity in this industry will potentially create the need for more work based learning opportunities.
Factory of the Future
The ASTUTE Factory of the Future in Neath Port Talbot will be a Centre of Excellence with state-of-the-art equipment, building on the world class expertise of the College of Engineering at Swansea University. The project will develop, demonstrate and accelerate the uptake of disruptive smart manufacturing technologies.
The manufacturing sector across the world is undergoing transformations changes because of the fourth industrial revolution. So through close collaboration between industry and academia, the enhanced adoption of smart technologies including additive manufacturing, automation, robotics and industrial digitalisation will drive competitiveness, efficiency and productivity for regionally anchored companies, and attract co-location of new companies.
This project when completed is complimentary to the CENGS project and the Steel Science project, offering facilities and training opportunities to individuals. Training opportunities for roles involving smart technologies is suggested and as such, greater focus is needed to develop existing and new training provision to meet the future skills needs in these areas.
96 https://www.swanseabaycitydeal.wales/about/
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Learner and Provider Consultation Analysis