National Apprenticeship Week and exciting opportunities on the horizon for Torridge!

It is fitting that you will be reading this column off the back of National Apprenticeship Week.

As a council we have been actively involved in apprenticeships schemes for many years and are proud to help young people develop their workplace skills while gaining important qualifications with which to build their careers.

We currently have five apprentices in various stages of their courses across a range of services, including waste and recycling, planning and building control.

Opportunities to develop and progress are actively encouraged with a full programme of support and development organised and monitored through the senior and operational management teams leading to professional qualifications and, in some instances, opportunities to apply for full-time job vacancies.

Boosting high quality employment and skills opportunities for the people of Torridge will be a key priority in our Levelling Up Partnership with Government, which will be developing throughout 2024.

To this end, a historic milestone was also reached last week as we welcomed the announcement of a devolution deal for Devon and Torbay which is expected to give more powers and importantly in the current climate the associated funding, to local areas such as ours.

One of our strategic goals for the area is of course to create an environment that supports the development of highly skilled and well-paid jobs, enabling opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to acquire transferable skills in the workplace and improve their lives.

This means more decisions will be taken by local people, who understand the needs of the area and can do what is best for the people living here, such as investing in new quality jobs and training.

For instance, under the proposals the newly formed Devon and Torbay combined authority would be given control of adult education to create up to 50,000 new training and retraining opportunities by 2030.

We expect a public consultation on the creation of the combined authority to start on February 12 and I would invite you to ensure you get involved in these conversations and make your voices heard on behalf of Torridge, as we work to ensure that all opportunities are maximised for all who live here.

A key investment priority for the combined authority will be capitalising on the region’s world-leading expertise in green science and technology.

This will build on the significant investment already committed to key projects underway in Torridge, including the Clean Maritime Innovation Centre at Appledore for which we have already received £15.6 million in Levelling Up funding.

This development will truly establish Torridge as a leading research and development destination for innovation in the fast-growing and innovative Blue Economy, bringing university partners and leading businesses to the heart of Torridge.

Expected to open in 2026, the centre will feature cutting-edge research and industry partnerships with both the University of Exeter’s Centre for Future Clean Mobility and also the University of Plymouth.

The building itself will provide a range of offices and workshops to support businesses to thrive and encourage further collaboration.

The centre will also play a key role in inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers, with Petroc expanding their range of maritime and engineering courses to provide the required workforce of the future to support Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW), seaweed, zero emissions propulsion and a range of other fields.

Those learners will have access to the centre at appropriate points in the course to boost learning and inspire in equal measures.

Apprenticeship Week over the coming years in Torridge looks set to become a very interesting celebration of home-grown talent with access to world-leading industry opportunities.

Stay up to date with the latest information and opportunities by following the Council's social media channels: www.facebook.com/torridgedc.