Alliance launched in Cheshire to collaborate on filling local electrical skills gaps

An alliance bringing together local electrical businesses, industry bodies, education providers and public authorities has been launched in Cheshire. 

The collaboration, known as the Cheshire & Warrington Electrotechnical Training and Careers Alliance (ETCA), aims to take meaningful joint action to strengthen electrotechnical skills development and careers provision within the region and help close local electrical skills gaps. 

The Alliance is a joint initiative led by ECA (the Electrical Contractors’ Association) and its Members with South & North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce.  

Andrew Eldred, Deputy CEO at ECA, said:

“Cheshire and Warrington is our third regional Electrotechnical Training and Careers Alliance launched in less than a year – following on from ETCAs for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands – and the first outside an existing Mayoral Strategic Authority. The ECA Members involved are leading electrical businesses from all parts of Cheshire, keen to collaborate to help close local electrical skills gaps. This is an absolutely essential requirement if we are to meet regional and national targets for housing, industry, clean energy and digital infrastructure.”

South & North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce is the Employer Representative Body appointed by the Secretary of State for Education to lead the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Cheshire & Warrington.

Sarah Emes-Young, Cheshire & Warrington LSIP Lead said: “We are delighted to support the ETCA in our area; it meets our overriding priority to ensure local training provision meets local business need.  We look forward to seeing real change in our area.”

The ETCA launch event took place near Chester on 24 September, with a wide range of electrical businesses, industry bodies, education providers and public authorities meeting together to agree electrical skills priorities in the region. As a first step, it was agreed to focus on the current existing workforce. This will include supporting partially qualified, experienced workers to become a fully qualified and competent electrician. Secondly, the ETCA will support qualified electricians to develop a wider skillset in relation to Green Technologies such as EV charging points, Solar PV and Battery Storage. The ETCA will also work to enhance relationships between local educational providers, employers and industry bodies, to help ensure that more aspiring electricians are able to access an apprenticeship.

The following organisations are all taking part in the ETCA: 

Electrical businesses

• BGEN, Warrington
• Bilfinger, Ellesmere Port
• CHIL Electrical and Renewables, Deeside 
• Genfit, Chester
• Meel Group, Macclesfield
• Mid Cheshire Electrical, Northwich
• Peaks & Plains Housing Trust, Macclesfield
• Picow Engineering, Runcorn
• Rosebery Group, Ellesmere Port
• 24-7 Group, Knutsford

Electrical industry bodies

• ECA 
• JIB/ ECS 
• NICEIC
• Unite the Union
• The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP)

Education providers

• Cheshire & Warrington Learning Provider Network 
• Cheshire College South & West
• Warrington & Vale Royal College
• Macclesfield College
• City & Guilds Electrical Training, Warrington
• Cheshire & Warrington Institute of Technology

Regional/ local bodies

• Cheshire & Warrington Local Skills Improvement Plan (ERB: South & North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce)
• West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce
• Cheshire West & Chester Council
• Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington

Find out more about ETCAs and how to get involved here.