Press release: Prime Minister visits families in North East to mark one year to EU exit

PM Theresa May visits the local parent and toddler group at St Andrews Church of England First School.

Marking the historic one year milestone to our departure from the EU, the Prime Minister visited the local parent and toddler group at St Andrews Church of England First School. This visit was part of a day-long tour to hear views first-hand from workers, families and firms from across the UK’s regions and nations.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

I’ve been in Hexham today to listen to what matters to families here on Brexit and beyond. In a year’s time we’ll be leaving the EU and it’s important we lay the ground over the coming months for a future where these children, and children across the UK, can flourish and reach their full potential.

The North East is already home to great schools, renowned universities, and thriving research, manufacturing and cultural sectors. It’s my mission to make sure that this continues and develops, and that no community is left behind as we plan both our domestic agenda and our Brexit strategy.

That’s why my government has been working closely with Northern businesses and stakeholders to boost growth and ensure their interests are truly represented in the Brexit negotiations.

Today, the government has also announced it is investing almost £15 million to build on work to improve the flow of ideas between universities and businesses in the North East. The projects being funded are expected to create jobs, enable the North East to better compete in the industries of the future and lead to environmental benefits.

Part of the Industrial Strategy, the Connecting Capability Fund will support a partnership between Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland universities, allowing them to promote tech and industrial sectors across the region. Another funding stream will allow York, Hull and Teesside universities to collaborate more closely to boost the area’s biosciences research.

The North East has seen promising signs in the economy in recent years. Since 2010 there are almost 19,000 more small businesses and there are more than 250,000 apprenticeships.

News story: Manchester seminar: Increasing the use of community sentence treatment requirements

Thursday, 26 April, 2018

featuring

Mignon French │Programme Manager │Community Sentence Treatment Requirements Vince Treece │Programme Support │Community Sentence Treatment Requirements Nino Maddalena │Criminal Justice Manager │Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco Division │Public Health England

The Community Sentence Treatment Requirement Programme (CSTR) is a partnership between the Department of Health, Ministry of Justice, NHS England and Public Health England. A joint protocol has been developed to provide an opportunity to increase the use of CSTRs as well as understanding the reasons why they are currently under-used.

In this free seminar Mignon, Vince and Nino will give an overview of the programme and share some initial thoughts around increasing the use of these treatment requirements.

Please see the attached flyer for details and how to book.

PDF, 407KB, 1 page

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email academy@noms.gsi.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Please see the attached flyer for details and how to book.

PDF, 407KB, 1 page

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.

News story: Near miss with train driver at Stafford

Still image from forward facing CCTV of the northbound train (image courtesy of Virgin Trains)

At around 14:36 hrs on 2 March 2018, a northbound train travelling at around 85 mph (137 km/h) nearly struck the driver of a stationary southbound train at Stafford station. The driver of the stationary train was between the Up and Down Stafford Fast lines attending to a train brake fault. There were no injuries.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks.

Published 29 March 2018

Press release: £2m funding for rural communities to restore historic buildings

The Historic Building Restoration Grant is being piloted in Dartmoor, Lake District, Northumberland, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks with £2 million of funding available.

The aim of the scheme is to help save the iconic historic farm buildings in the English National Parks from falling out of use. Owners of these buildings from today can apply for a grant offering 80% towards the cost of restoration. This can include replacing the roof, weatherproofing the exterior, or other restoration works so that the building can be used again for farming purposes.

The scheme is open for applications until 31 January 2019 and, once approved, agreement holders will have two years to complete the works.

The grant is also supported by an implementation plan so that applicants can work with National Park advisors on developing a management plan to deliver the restoration, working with conservation consultants as necessary. This work is 100% funded so applicants can seek the advice they need to develop high quality applications and secure funding for their projects.

Lord Gardiner, Defra Minister for National Parks said:

The British countryside, including those historic farm buildings that dot some of our most iconic landscapes, is a truly precious natural asset. I am delighted that we are able to open this new set of grants supporting the restoration of traditional farm buildings.

Land managers who apply for this scheme will not only be safeguarding our rural history and culture, but also regenerating traditional buildings for use today and for future generations.

Sir Laurie Magnus, Chairman of Historic England said:

Historic England warmly welcomes this scheme and its endorsement of the value and importance of traditional farm buildings. Many farm buildings, in my view, are as important as churches in contributing to the beauty and the character of the English landscape. The partnership approach being piloted by Historic England, Natural England and upland National Parks will be of immense value in helping owners to maintain and conserve these buildings and to retain their significance for future generations.

News story: Multi-million pound fund for adult learning announced

National Numeracy Nationwide Using online learning to engage working adults in improving their basic maths skills Workers Education Association London Flexible and accessible learning delivered through the innovative use of Behavioural Insight The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London part of the Capital City College Group London Routes 2 Cyber Security, Digital Skills and Business Transformation for Adult Learners NA College Trust East Midlands Developing online packages for Level 1/2 maths and English functional skills for engineering, manufacturing and service sector workers Access Skills West Midlands Developing flexible workplace task focused learning for delivery in the Health and Social Care sector Rutland County Council East of England Armed Forces dependants flexible learning project Newham College of Further Education London Local London Flexi-Learn Open University East Midlands Bringing Learning to Life Bristol City Council on behalf of the West of England Community Learning Consortium South West Let’s Get Ahead! Flexible learning for inclusive growth National Land Based College West Midlands A flexible approach to the delivery of Level 2 and 3 land based qualifications, to upskill or reskill those already working, or seeking to work in the land based sector Carlisle College North West Cumbria eLearning platform for functional skills St Helens Chamber North West Digital Skills for Returners and low-skilled employees Dudley College of Technology West Midlands Improving Access to skills in the region PeoplePlus Group North West Progression Pathways for Parents Hounslow London Borough Council London West London Blended Learning Project Open Awards North West Blending Access to Higher Education Durham County Council Adult Learning and Skills Service North East Durham Learn Weston College South west Developing online/online blended training packages to bridge the skills gap for the West of England Skills and Learning Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole South west Flex to Learn Middlesbrough College North East Open Access to Health The Consultancy Home Counties Ltd East Midlands Class2Cloud Fareport Training Organisation Ltd South East Health Care Worker. Fast track pre-employability literacy and basic skills programme Edlounge Yorkshire & the Humber The Virtual Education Lounge South Devon College South west Switching Up DBC Training East Midlands Language Labs Nottinghamshire County Council East Midlands Carers into Caring Hull College Group Yorkshire & the Humber Developing an employer supported Level 2 Health and Care professions qualification to improve the skills profile of Health and Care workers through flexible delivery Birmingham Metropolitan College West Midlands Digital Engineering Academy Kensington and Chelsea College London Flexible First Steps to London North Shropshire College West Midlands The Pop-up College London Skills Development Network London Open Access learning hubs (Edugym) and interactive digital learning for adult learners retraining or returning to work London College of Beauty Therapy London Building futures for adults in Beauty, Hair and Retail through flexible learning