Shadow chancellor pledges 31,000 jobs in green training visit to Black Country
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has visited a green training academy in the Black Country to announce plans to introduce 31,000 jobs to the West Midlands through environmental initiatives.
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The Labout MP visited the E.On Green Academy, on High Street, Kingswinford, to talk to apprentices about plans for the future of green energy in the West Midlands.
The shadow chancellor visited the academy with West Midlands mayoral candidate Richard Parker, who joined her in discussing the Labour commitment to "well-paid, high-quality jobs".
Ms Reeves said the visit provided a good chance to talk to the net-zero engineers of the future, and also to talk about the Labour Government's plans for a net-zero future if they are elected.
She said: "It's great to be here in Dudley, and we have met some fantastic people who are training up for some of the jobs in the industry of the future.
"Here at E.On they are training 100 people a year, that is just one company. If Labour comes in and rolls out our warm homes plan, we will be able to create more jobs with more certainty, so we are confident that we can ramp this up and get even more jobs.
"I have also committed that we will have a Gigafactory here in the West Midlands, which is crucial in securing jobs in the car manufacturing centre here in the West Midlands. There is a whole range of jobs from producing jobs, producing cars and retro-fitting homes."
Ms Reeves said a Gigafactory would help re-establish the West Midlands as a central car manufacturing centre.
She said: "We have made a commitment to the West Midlands Gigafactory, we see a really exciting car manufacturing future in the West Midlands. To do that we do need that battery capability in the West Midlands.
"We have that ambition, we want those jobs that pay those wages that you can support families on in the West Midlands, we think we can 31,000 here with the Labour Government."
During the visit, Ms Reeves also talked to new students of the E.On Green Academy, who are training to become net-zero engineers of the future.
John Clayton, a Net-Zero Installer with E.On Energy, from Kingswinford, said: "It's been really good to have the shadow chancellor here. It's nice to see that the people in power are interested in this and I know there is a lot of uncertainty in Government, but the talk was really great, everyone was really honest.
"She asked a lot about the scheme at E.On, which is fantastic. There is always an opportunity here and it's nice that the future is being discussed."
