The Delivery of Decarbonisation Training Needs Analysis in support of Regional Skills Mapping

Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington leads the growth of the Cheshire and Warrington economy through a powerful partnership between the private, public, and voluntary sectors. Our ambition is to be the UK's healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing economy.

Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington (ECW) is seeking a provider or consortium to deliver Training Needs Analysis and Plans (TNAPs) for employers in energy-intensive industries across Cheshire West and Chester and the surrounding area. This work forms part of the North West Regional Skills Pilot, which supports businesses transitioning to clean energy solutions such as hydrogen, carbon capture, and renewable energy. Please note that a SIC code definition of Energy Intensive Industries can be found at Annex A. This definition will be a starting point for defining the beneficiary companies. We expect to work with the successful bidder to further refine and triangulate this definition.

The North West industrial cluster, particularly around Ellesmere Port, has a high concentration of energy-intensive industries critical to the region's economy. These businesses must adapt to meet net-zero targets, which will require significant changes to their operations and workforce skills. The appointed provider will work with up to 20 employers (including at least five with over 100 employees). The TNAP for each organisation will: • For existing job roles, identify and quantify the job roles that should receive support/professional development/retraining to facilitate the company's clean energy transition. • Where the need for such support is current, identify the provider(s) that can fulfil these training requirements and broker a relationship between the employer and the relevant provider(s) • For new job roles, identify those that might best be filled. • Propose a realistic timeline for the upskilling/retraining of all existing staff in scope. • Identify training needs gaps that could be met through Phase 2 of the DESNZ Regional Skills Pilot.

A key focus will be connecting employers to publicly funded training options where possible, such as Further Education (FE) courses or Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). Where gaps in provision exist, the provider will propose solutions working alongside ECW, stakeholders, and other associated consultants, to identify new interventions that could be delivered through Phase 2 of the Office for Clean Energy Jobs (OCEJ) Regional Skills Pilot, subject to funding approval.

All participating employers are expected to agree to engage in the programme of work by the first week of March 2025, with early stakeholder mapping undertaken by ECW during early February ahead of appointment of this tender. Training Needs Analyses will be completed by March 2025, with finalised Training Plans by April 2025 and connections to training providers in place by May 2025.

Response to queries via email - 7th February Tender submission deadline - 12th February, 16:00