College funding 'to help young people find jobs'

Young people in Staffordshire should benefit from better job opportunities through new funding by the government of a college, a politician in the county says.

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) is among three in the West Midlands to start offering manufacturing, digital and technologies training under the government's Technical Excellence Colleges programme and will share £175m.

A new £10m advanced manufacturing hub will be created in Castle Street, Stafford, as part of Stafford College. the county council said.

Councillor Robin Hall said the move would help improve local skills to support the needs of firms in Staffordshire and lead to more jobs in the future.

"This will help strengthen the county's reputation as a sector leader and offer a wealth of industry-linked learning options to our young people," he added.

The NSCG development will be situated in the Stafford Gateway project area – where the county council is working with Stafford Borough Council to regenerate land near the railway station for commercial, leisure and residential use.

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