Roehampton: reskilling South West London

I wrote recently about how Putney is weathering the tough economic climate in respect of unemployment.

One of the ways to keep unemployment down is to make sure that local people have the skills to compete in the local job market.

And that's why a piece of local news that got lost this past week was significant. It was the announcement of a dreadfully-named programme called The Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF), of which Roehampton University has won a £250,000 slice.

Roehampton's winning bid - which they will match-fund, creating a £500,000 scheme - will create a new suite of facilities to help local people re-train for job areas where there are particular skills gaps at present. There will also be opportunities for those in work to improve their technical and professional skills and personal development.

Almost 2,000 local people will benefit from this new scheme and it will help keep Putney and the rest of South West London one of the most employed, and least unemployed parts of the UK. For more about Roehampton's winning bid click here.