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The Prime Minister has today officially opened Severn Trent’s brand-new training Academy on the outskirts of Coventry. He was also joined by the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions,  Thérèse Coffey MP.

Severn Trent, who provide water and waste services to 8 million customers across the Midlands, opened The Academy as part of its wider £10m investment in skills and training. 

The company will be opening the Academy doors to their communities, offering opportunities to gain valuable employability skills and training, helping to support communities following the impact on employment due to coronavirus.

At the opening event, the Prime Minister spoke with the company about its commitment to helping communities bounce back stronger following the pandemic and met with a number of the company’s young Kick starters and apprentices. The Kick starters are the first of 500 16-24 year olds Severn Trent will be employing over the next 12 months.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP said: “I was delighted to visit Severn Trent today, who are leading the way in building back better from the pandemic by delivering world-class training via our Kickstart scheme. “Their brilliant Academy will support thousands of people in the West Midlands to gain the skills they need to secure, long-term jobs and to take a step towards brighter futures.”

Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey said: “Severn Trent are investing £10 million in this country’s future through this new state of the art training academy for young people and it’s fantastic news for Coventry as we build back better.  

“Young people have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic but have done their bit by putting their lives on hold to protect their loved ones and friends. Now they need a helping hand getting that first job - which is where our Kickstart Scheme comes in. Kickstart has created almost 200,000 vacancies exclusively for young people and 16,500 placements have already started.” 

Liv Garfield, Chief Executive at Severn Trent said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to officially open our Academy, and be able to share it with our people and our wonderful customers and our communities.

“We know that coronavirus has massively affected people in a number of ways, and unemployment is unfortunately one of them. We absolutely want to help change that, so by sharing our brand new Academy, we’re going to be able to provide valuable skills and training for those who need it most, helping more people get back into work across our region.

“By opening our doors to our communities and allowing them to take advantage of our wonderful new facility, we’re hopeful we can play a key role in creating more opportunities and do our bit to help the region bounce back.” 

As well as supporting communities, the brand new Academy will also be used by Severn Trent’s own people, providing a variety of training, using traditional and experimental learning, to cater for the needs of its 7,000 work force.Virtual reality, technical training, operational rigs and traditional classroom based learning are just some of the ways Severn Trent has invested in its Academy, to make sure its people are  deliver the best service for its eight million customers.