Westcott based Plastron Immersive, is seeing a return on its investment in training thanks to funding support from Buckinghamshire Growth Board.
With initial funding from Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) of £15,000, now managed by the Buckinghamshire Growth Board following the transition of the LEP into Buckinghamshire Council last year, Plastron is going from strength to strength in the delivery of space skills provision.
This progress has resulted in Plastron – in partnership with the Space Skills Alliance, Lat51 Space Systems Ltd, European Astrotech Ltd, Plymouth & South Devon Freeport, and JMA Projects Ltd – being selected by the UK Space Agency to develop a training and digital learning package for the space and wider engineering sectors, which will also benefit the pioneering work at Westcott Enterprise Zone.
Charlie Young, Project Lead at Plastron Immersive, said: “Over the past two years Plastron has been building a strategic, pan-regional partnership to coordinate practical space skills provision between the North East, the South West and the South East. This ambition was supported and sponsored by Westcott Enterprise Zone and Buckinghamshire Council, which has now resulted in further funding from the UK Space Agency.”
Plastron’s Engineering Test Best Practice training programme – for further education, higher education, start-ups and anyone wanting to transition into the space sector – is one of five funded by UK Space Agency as part of a major investment into resolving persistent skills shortages in the industry. As a growth sector, which delivers economic benefits across the UK economy, upskilling the workforce also supports the sector’s international growth. The project exemplifies a commitment to enabling a resilient, quality-led and safety-conscious technical workforce.
Richard Harrington, Service Director, Economy, Investment & Regeneration at Buckinghamshire Council, said: “We are delighted to have supported Plastron in their development of pioneering space skills training, which directly addresses short to medium term skills needs in the space sector that are not currently being met.”
“This training programme will also help to further develop the huge potential of the space and technology sector at Westcott by providing the skills for the next generation of space professionals.”
For further information on Plastron Immersive’s skills provision, please visit: www.plastron.uk/skills/
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