Nissan-led skills centre given £9.7m funding

The North East Combined Authority has agreed to contribute £9.7m to build the skills hub

A training hub designed to boost skills in the automotive sector will receive £9.7m in public funding.

The North East Combined Authority (NECA) agreed to provide more than two-thirds of the cash needed to build MADE NE in Sunderland.

The £14m facility, led by Nissan, will focus on training a workforce for the electric vehicle and battery technology sectors.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the site would play an important role in giving local people to access high-skilled jobs.

"We can create all the jobs we want, but if we don’t have the workforce in the region to fill them it won’t work," she said.

MADE NE is the first project to come forward as part of the region’s Investment Zone – a £160m, 10-year programme.

The hub will be based across two sites at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sunderland, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Nissan said those in primary school through to apprenticeship level would benefit from skills development, while in-work training is also expected to be offered.

Other organisations involved in MADE NE include Sunderland City Council, Education Partnership North East, New College Durham, AESC, Vantec, Newcastle University, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and the North East Automotive Alliance.