The county council will not give up in pursuit of cleaner, greener, economy

Cllr John Hart, leader of Devon County Council (Image: Archant)

It would be all too easy to consider the cost-of-living crisis and the possibility of a recession and give up.

But our nation is always at its best when our backs are against the wall.

Throughout the pandemic the county council has been looking to the future to see what we can do to aid the recovery and regenerate our economy.

We believed the number of Covid cases would drop. We didn't foresee that Vladimir Putin would embark on his ill-judged and hopefully ill-fated invasion of a blameless neighbour and throw world supply chains and energy prices back into chaos.

We can't solve these problems but - as a county council - we must continue to help people lead better, more fulfilled lives.

Our medium to longer-term strategy focuses on promoting a cleaner, Greener economy using high-tech and digital skills and ensuring that people have the opportunity to acquire those skills. That is a key part of our devolution bid to Government.

But, on a smaller scale, I’m pleased we’ll be running a range of Skills Bootcamps again this summer with funding from the Government's National Skills Fund.

These are flexible courses offering adults the opportunity to retrain and improve their skills to make it easier for them to qualify for jobs which employers are keen to fill.

The bootcamps are designed with employers to ensure people are developing skills that meet businesses' current recruitment needs and people taking part are guaranteed an interview at the end of their training.

The bootcamps will run from July 2022 until March 2023 with participants supported to secure employment after their training is complete. They are free to individuals looking to improve their skills and they're open to people who are unemployed, self-employed, or returning to work.

They will offer training in a range of digital and technical skills, including cyber, IT, web development, data science, welding and engineering.

We're also planning bootcamps for Green and construction job roles alongside opportunities for those looking to move into healthcare, professional services and the creative industries.

And if you run your own business and want to improve some of your staff's skills then you can book places by contributing 10 per cent of the course costs if you are a small or medium employer and 30 per cent for larger companies.

You can find out more on the national website skillslaunchpad.org.uk

And to coincide with national Coworking Day we're also offering a free, one-day trial to new clients at 14 of the work hubs we support with a range of local providers. Work hubs provide business support and facilities for fledgling firms and you can find out more at devonworkhubs.co.uk

Places are limited but at the time of writing there were spaces at The Nook no 7 at Honiton, The Nook Factory at Cullompton and the Castle Hill Work Hub at Great Torrington.

Finally, I'm sure many of us will be joining together to toast our Queen this weekend. My most vivid memory of Her Majesty is when she came to Devon as part of her Golden Jubilee tour in May 2002.

I was responsible for education in the county then and I was very proud of the musical entertainment that children from Devon schools provided for her at Exeter Cathedral.

We also hosted a reception for Her Majesty at County Hall where she was able to meet a number of local people.

I have always been impressed with the close relationship Her Majesty has had with the county of Devon and we are delighted to congratulate her on becoming the first British monarch to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.