West Midlands

This page will feature all the latest news and events taking place in the West Midlands.

Research

LandSkills West Midlands is currently carrying out some research to help Lantra communicate with you effectively. If you are a farmer, grower or forester we would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to answer our questionnaire below…

If you are a farmer:

Click here to take survey

If you are a grower:

Click here to take survey

If you are a forester:

Click here to take survey

News and events

Women and Work Awards 2010

The first ever Women and Work Awards luncheon will take place on 10 March 2010 at Nailcote Hall, Warwickshire. Click here to find out more about the finalists...
Celebrating women growing a career in horticulture - Michelle Dale from Stratford will pick up the Women and Work Award for Horticulture.

Other news

Funds for West Midland Woodland Workforce. Read more...

Funding

LandkSkills West Midlands delivers sustainable business benefits to the regions agricultural, horticultural and forestry industries. Click on the box below for more information on how you could benefit from up to 80% funding...

Women and Work offers a £450 training grant to women working in male dominated industries such as agriculture. Click the box below for more information...

Funding available to women working in male dominated industries in the West Midlands...

Useful links

Regional Partnership Manager: Ros Burnley

Ros is currently on maternity leave. Madge Moore, National Directro for England will continue with Ros' work with employers in the West Midlands to encourage investment in skills and with regional agencies to help them understand the needs of the diverse industries in the land based sector.

Skills assessment

In October 2009 Lantra revealed its latest research report: A Skills Assessment for the Environmental and Land-based Sector.

The research sets out the skills gaps and shortages of the current workforce and identifies the projected skills needs through to 2017.

Download the West Midlands factsheet here

Birmingham Post

Artist creates sculpture of new Birmingham Library using recycled materials

04 March 2010 20:09:00 Artist Stuart Murdoch has been commissioned by Birmingham City Council to create a sculpture out of recycled materials.
Ocean Power Technologies given £2m for new wave energy work

04 March 2010 07:05:00 Ocean Power Technologies, the AIM-listed wave power company with its European operations based in Warwickshire, has been awarded £2 million by the European Commission to develop new tidal energy technology.
Sea change for Converteam's wind turbines

26 February 2010 13:53:00 A Warwickshire engineering company is going head to head with a Japanese firm to design and build a cheaper way of testing offshore wind turbines indoors rather than out in the deep sea.
Encraft acclaimed for Balsall Heath eco-house

25 February 2010 08:17:00 Leamington Spa engineering firm Encraft has been recognised for its work on an eco-house in the Birmingham suburb of Balsall Heath and a project near Warwick.
National Farmers' Union conference in Birmingham calls for smarter farm spending

23 February 2010 07:10:00 Efforts by farmers to improve Britain’s food and energy security will be “strangled at birth” without smarter spending and incentives from Government, farming leaders have warned ahead of a major event in Birmingham.
Greener transport hits a UK roadblock

19 February 2010 14:09:00 Government encouragement to get greener transport on the road is lacking, says one industry boss. Anna Blackaby reports
Green schemes will aid Midlands construction industry

18 February 2010 14:30:00 A scheme to help property owners ‘green up’ their houses and businesses could mean a £40 million bonanza for the struggling Midlands construction industry, the planners behind the project have said.
Solar power research in West Midlands in need of investment

12 February 2010 14:46:00 Delays in raising venture capital funding are threatening an opportunity for the West Midlands to get ahead in the race to bring the next generation of solar power technology to market.
Lord Mandelson announces £19m funding for low carbon vehicles in Midlands

11 February 2010 13:39:00 The Government has announced £19 million of funding for research and development of low carbon vehicles in the Midlands.
NEC chief predicts two more years of hardship for UK economy

11 February 2010 12:19:00 The UK faces up to two more years of economic pain and neither Labour nor the Tories are offering “convincing” arguments to ease the crisis, accor NEC chief executive Paul Thandi.
Biffa bags Sainsbury's supermarket food recycling contract

01 February 2010 12:45:00 Birmingham-based waste management firm Biffa has signed a three year contract with Sainsbury’s to recycle food waste from 40 of its stores in the Midlands by anaerobic digestion.
How to turn an energy shortfall into windfall

15 January 2010 17:00:00 It’s been a tough time for the UK’s energy suppliers with freezing weather, wobbles in North Sea gas deliveries and a huge roll-out of offshore wind dominating headlines. Anna Blackaby looks at the energy challenges and opportunities this presents for West Midland businesses.
Waste firm Biffa to build Birmingham recycling plant

08 January 2010 07:15:00 Waste management firm Biffa has announced it is developing a new state-of-the-art recycling plant at Minworth.
Wind of change is ruffling the locals

28 December 2009 08:00:00 With pressure on the Government to use renewable energy, wind turbines could soon be installed without the need for planning permission. Patrice John discovers there is already a growing backlash among communities to such schemes.
Waste deals show big drop in activity

24 December 2009 08:30:00 Mergers and acquisition deal volumes among waste firms – a sector which is well-represented in the West Midlands – fell by more than 50 per cent in the last quarter.
Wind of change a step closer to reality

18 December 2009 06:00:00 The Midland company planning to build a £1.3 billion offshore wind farm which could provide more than one per cent of the nation’s energy is poised to submit planning permission for a key part of its site in Norfolk.
Campaigners to fight on after planning approval given for leisure village in Warwickshire

14 December 2009 08:00:00 Campaigners have vowed to fight on after developers were given approval for a controversial leisure village in the Warwickshire countryside.
Ocean Power Technologies moves into profit

10 December 2009 15:30:00 Ocean Power Technologies, the US renewable energy specialists with UK headquarters in Warwick, has broken into a small profit.
Plans for giant household waste plant in Cannock given the go ahead

16 November 2009 16:40:00 A plant which can convert 80,000 tonnes of household waste to energy every year has received the go-ahead to be built in Cannock.
JS Wright designer to study for green technology MSc

16 November 2009 00:00:00 A Birmingham building services company is committing to green technology by paying for an employee to undertake a postgraduate engineering course.