P054 Skills and Employability.Northern Gateway Development Zone

***This has been awarded to Regeneris, Faulkner House, Manchester.M1 4DY***The Northern Gateway Development Zone (NGDZ) is an area situated in the heart of the UK and is a key node on the UK's north-south road and rail links, straddling the M6, the West Coast Railway Mainline and the A500 . This area has been recently boosted with the investment in the HS2 rail hub at Crewe along with enhanced connectivity for the City of Stoke-on-Trent and the town of Stafford. This investment has the potential to deliver in excess of 120,000 jobs and 100,000 new homes by 2040.

As part of the HS2 Command Paper of November 2015 and the decision to confirm the proposed line of route to Crewe as Phase 2A, the Government has allocated circa £1.2m as a contribution to the development of a HS2 Growth Strategy for the NGDZ.

This invitation to tender is for expert support to evidence the skills and supply chain impacts likely to occur in the NGDZ area as a result of this investment and to articulate the actions that are needed to ensure that employment, skills and education and supply chain opportunities associated with this predicted growth for local residents and businesses are maximised.