Lord David Blunkett says Heathrow expansion must deliver on closing the skills gap
Legal challenges, what legal challenges?
Heathrow has announced the names of 13 members of its new skills taskforce, led by Lord David Blunkett, which meets for the first time today.
And Blunkett has said that Heathrow must deliver a long-term skills legacy for the nation, warning that a coordinated skills strategy on infrastructure was necessary to learn from past mistakes.
Read more: Heathrow expansion gets the green light from government
"As a former secretary of state for education and employment, I have seen too many initiatives build up their teams only for this to go to waste," he said.
The Taskforce is ready to capitalise on the once-in-a-generation opportunity of Heathrow expansion.
There is no more room for lost opportunities, and in the aftermath of Brexit, it is imperative to look at infrastructure investments as more than a sum of their parts.
The Skills Taskforce will ensure Heathrow expansion delivers benefits long after a new runway is in place, with a strategy to deliver long-term, UK-wide jobs and skills.
The members of the new taskforce have been chosen to represent business and trade unions, further and higher education, schools and social action.
Heathrow airport currently supports one in five local jobs; in the government's announcement its expansion was going ahead last week, it said that the development will deliver up to 77,000 additional local jobs.
The airport pointed to a report by The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, saying that Heathrow expansion will require the number of construction workers alone working on infrastructure projects to rise by around 25 per cent.
Read more: Heathrow's considering building a runway ramp over the M25
The 13 members:
- Tracy Aust, principal, West Thames College
- Cllr Julian Bell, leader, Ealing Council
- Prof. Julia Buckingham, vice chancellor & president , Brunel University London
- Neil Carberry, director for people and skills, CBI
- Gail Cartmail, Member, general council, TUC & assistant general secretary UNITE
- Denise Keating, chief executive, enei
- Dr Rania Marandos, deputy chief executive, Step up to Serve
- Paul McAteer, chief executive, Slough & East Berkshire Multi-Academy Trust
- Jason Millett, chief operating officer, MACE Major programmes and infrastructure
- Heather Morgan, group head of regeneration and growth, Spelthorne Council
- Garry Phillips, chief executive, West London College
- Prof Keith Ridgway, CBE, University of Sheffield