The Government is to give Central Bedfordshire £46.8 million to boost four schemes in the west of the district. Most of the funding goes to two road schemes, the Woodside Link Road in Dunstable which joins the industrial estate to the M1 and the dualling of the A421 between Milton Keynes and M1 Junction 13. This road scheme will reduce congestion, support the creation of more jobs and accommodate housing growth. Other beneficiaries are a new Engineering and Construction Skills Centre and improvements to the guided busway.
£2.5 million is being provided to build a new Engineering and Construction Skills Centre for Central Bedfordshire College in Leighton Buzzard which will serve the whole of Central Bedfordshire. As well as training and educating young people and adults to work as technicians in those industries which need more skilled workers locally, the Centre will be a stepping stone for university or higher education courses. The Centre is scheduled to open within the next two years. This is good news for Central Bedfordshire as a whole but how is it going to help those unemployed youngsters in Chronicle Country to acquire the skills they need to get into work? Leighton Buzzard is a three bus trip via Luton and takes over three hours.
If Central Bedfordshire Council is serious about getting NEETs into work perhaps they could spend some of the grant on addressing this problem for our local youngsters.
Cllr Nigel Aldis
Member for Sandy
Central Bedfordshire Council
