New skills centre opens at Coventry City Centre South
The Skills Centre aims to help local people train for jobs in construction, as part of the £450 million City Centre South regeneration scheme
A new Skills Centre has opened in Coventry to help local people train for jobs in construction, as part of the £450 million City Centre South regeneration scheme.
The Skills Centre will offer residents, particularly young people and those looking to develop new skills, opportunities for training that leads to a career in the construction sector.
Coventry City Council chiefs joined developers the Hill Group and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker at the unveiling of the project in Greyfriars Road, where building work has begun on the £450m scheme to create a new residential and commercial quarter for the city.
Mr Parker cut the ribbon to mark the official opening and met members of the first group of learners to have completed the centre’s initial four-week programme.
The students had achieved their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards, enabling them to work on building sites and take their first steps into employment.
Mr Parker said: “The West Midlands is leading the way in creating opportunities for local people to secure skilled, sustainable careers in construction while helping to deliver the homes, infrastructure and regeneration projects that our communities need and which are integral to my Growth Plan.
“This centre shows what can be achieved when industry and public sector partners work together with a shared purpose.”
Andy Hill, founder and group chief executive of The Hill Group, said: “City Centre South represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform this part of Coventry, and we want local people to share in the benefits that investment will bring.
“The Skills Centre will help create a pipeline of skilled workers for the construction sector while opening doors for people who may never have previously considered a career in our industry.”
Cllr Lynnette Kelly, Deputy Leader of the city council and the Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: “City Centre South will transform the heart of Coventry, creating new homes, jobs and opportunities for future generations. This new Skills Centre ensures local people can play a direct role in delivering that transformation.
“By providing access to training, qualifications and employment opportunities, we’re helping residents develop the skills needed for successful careers in construction and the wider built environment.
“We want the benefits of regeneration to be felt by Coventry people, and it’s excellent to see the first learners already taking advantage of these opportunities.”
Jon Howlin, chief executive of The Skills Centre, said: “This centre will create real opportunities for local people to access a wide range of career pathways, from skilled trades and technical roles through to supervisory and management positions, ensuring they can benefit from the long-term investment and regeneration taking place across the city.”
Once fully operational, the centre will offer a range of opportunities from entry-level programmes through to NVQ Level 7 qualifications. Training programmes at the centre are funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority and delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
Once complete, City Centre South will provide up to 1,575 new homes in new apartment blocks. The first phase will deliver 991 of these homes, alongside 8,000 square metres of new commercial space for shops, hospitality and businesses, and 17,000 square metres of public open space.
The launch of the scheme’s new Skills Centre comes as the Government vows to tackle a ‘lost generation’ of one million young people who are not in education, employment or training, known as NEETs, while around 640,000 18-to-24-year-olds nationally are on unemployment benefits.
Coventry City Council’s latest version of its One Coventry Plan – which sets out the council’s vision and priorities for the city up to 2030 against a range of key indicators – shows that unemployment in the city remains higher than national and regional averages, with 14,025 working-age residents, or 5.8 per cent, claiming unemployment benefits in June 2026 (up from 13,675 in June 2025), compared with four per cent across England overall.
Youth unemployment is still an issue, the report noted. In June 2025, youth claimants aged 18 to 24 in Coventry amounted to 2,500 and this has increased notably, by more than it has among other age groups, reaching 2,840 in June 2026.
The number of local young people aged 16 to 18 who are not in education, employment or training has also increased. While Coventry fares better than much of the region, the position is of national concern across the age group as a whole, the council says.