College to receive funding to support skills and training for Grangemouth workers

College to receive funding to support skills and training for Grangemouth workers
Government officials meet PetroIneos workers

Forth Valley College has received funding from the Scottish and UK Governments to support Grangemouth workers at risk of redundancy with skills and training.

In addition to UK Government and Scottish Government’s joint £100m investment in the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal, Forth Valley College will receive funding to deliver bespoke support for workers affected by Petroineos’ decision to decommission the oil refinery.  

Backed by this £100m funding, workers at Grangemouth refinery at risk of redundancy will be contacted in the coming weeks and offered tailored support to access new jobs in the local area that will shape the future of Grangemouth as an industrial hub for years to come.   

Forth Valley College will shortly begin contacting workers to start building a skills and support package to meet their individual needs, mapping their current skills and qualifications to the future skills needed for local clean energy roles in the area and analysing where the gaps are. 

The UK and Scottish Governments will use the findings to deliver targeted interventions to upskill the local workforce ahead of redundancies next year.  

It comes as UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin attended a meeting of the Grangemouth Future Industry Board today (Thursday 17 October) at Forth Valley College alongside UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks, Scotland Secretary Ian Murray, local industry leaders, Falkirk Council, trade bodies and trade unions.  

The £100 million Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal will support projects and skills interventions in the local area. It is estimated that the Falkirk & Grangemouth Growth Deal will deliver over £628 million in economic benefits and create 1,660 jobs across the Falkirk Council area. 

Kenny MacInnes, Principal of Forth Valley College, said:

“Forth Valley College are uniquely placed to help and upskill any Petroineos employees who are impacted as a result of the closure of the oil refinery, and we will be there to offer the necessary training and support with the help of funding from the Scottish and UK Governments.

“The College is proud to have had a long term partnership with the Grangemouth Refinery – helping to train their Modern Apprentices – and will continue to build on this in our role of making learning work for the people of Forth Valley to ensure they have the skills for the future.

“We are committed to working with PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) and Falkirk Council to help guide former Petroineos employees onto courses at Forth Valley College which will help them transfer to new jobs in another industry or sector.”

UK Government Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

“We continue to stand with Grangemouth workers and we are putting money on the table to secure workers good onward employment.

“By working in partnership with the Scottish Government, we’ve unlocked an unprecedented joint investment plan to support workers and secure Grangemouth’s future, and I will continue to spare no effort to drive this work forward.”

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said:

“Our immediate priority remains to support the workers directly affected by the regrettable closure of the refinery. We will do everything we can to ensure they are supported to retrain and move into adjacent industries within the wider Grangemouth area.

“These workers are highly skilled and have an important contribution to make locally and nationally.  Our investment will help to unlock valuable new opportunities for them and ensure that their skills and experience continue to benefit industry in the “area and the wider community.

Ian Murray and Kenny MacInnes
Ed Miliband, Gillian Martin and Ian Murray