COVID-19 has had a devastating effect across the country and the Thames Estuary is no exception, but we are now in a place of real opportunity. In the Thames Estuary Growth Board Action Plan – ‘The Green Blue’ – we set out our vision for a greener, more productive and more prosperous Estuary.
Our private sector-led board brings together local authority leaders from across the Estuary and private sector colleagues. With representatives from east London, north Kent and south Essex working together as one coherent, unified voice, we are the best-placed people to help the Estuary to create 1.5 million jobs and add £115bn to the UK economy.
The Estuary can make a real contribution to the national and regional economy. This needs Government help: freedoms and flexibilities to take a different approach when it is needed. And no area needs a more locally-tailored approach than training and skills development. Traditional skills models allocate funding to providers for courses and places. They do little to incentivise new courses, consider new opportunities for future work – or really ensure that employer needs are fully met. Through our connections and knowledge of the Estuary, we know that increased business influence over the commissioning of skills and training would help to produce a workforce fit for current and future challenges.
The current model is inevitably cautious. It needs to know that outputs can be delivered and the books will balance. We are proposing a new business-led approach. This means the best providers provide the courses and training that business need. We know the Estuary and its potential and we have the connections, relationships and strategy to help training providers to meet current and future needs.
The Thames Estuary Production Corridor is key for skills development and job creation in the creative, digital and cultural industries. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has committed to a long-term project to make the Thames Estuary a world-leading creative centre.
Some 100,000 Estuary residents work in this sector, but with only 47,000 jobs in the region, we export over half of our talent every day.
The Production Corridor has the scope to create 50,000 jobs and deliver £3.7bn into the UK economy.
The next step for the Production Corridor is to produce investment propositions and connect world-class creative businesses with local skills and training opportunities. We have been speaking to Government about piloting this, developing a commissioning board of business leaders, representative of the Production Corridor’s aims, who would manage and allocate funding. It is a bold initative, and one with a direct and positive impact on securing growth. We want Government to support our initiative and back something specifically tailored to the Estuary’s potential.
The film industry is expanding and needs costume designers as much as it needs digital expertise. London Resort wants to provide a platform for entrepreneurial and innovative technology. People and businesses will not need to leave the Estuary if they can be trained here.
This skills initiative is fundamental to maximising the economic, social and cultural benefits the Production Corridor will bring.
Construction activity in the Estuary is also strong. The London Resort will be one of Europe’s biggest projects: three times larger than any other UK resort, creating 30,000 jobs.
We want construction in the Estuary to be progressive. To do this we are backing the development of hydrogen technology and the establishment of a Thames Estuary-based freeport. These initiatives will increase productivity, generate jobs and opportunities for the whole area and benefit those communities that need it most.
We have started out on an exciting journey to help the Thames Estuary realise its massive potential that can make a significant contribution to the national economy. We have brought together an inspirational group of partners, developed a plan that has captured people’s imagination and we now want to get on with the job. A radical new approach to skills will give talented people in the Estuary the tools to thrive. We are in a good place.
Kate Willard is the Thames Estuary Envoy