In a significant advancement for skills development in the South West, UCS College Group and Agratas have officially formalised their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This agreement established UCS College Group as the designated training provider and coordinator for Agratas as it builds the UK’s largest battery manufacturing facility in Bridgwater, Somerset. Once complete, it will play a crucial role in advancing clean technology and sustainable energy, producing battery cells for automotive and energy storage solutions.
The MoU was signed by Andy Berry, CBE, Chief Executive Officer of UCS College Group, and Becki Robertson, Vice President Human Resources at Agratas. Marking the significance of this milestone, they were joined by Phil Smith CBE, Chair of Skills England. The collaboration comes at a crucial time as the UK seeks to enhance its manufacturing capabilities in response to the growing demand for renewable energy solutions.
Joint ventures between providers and investors are key to delivering national and local infrastructure and regeneration schemes, as well as boosting our international standing as a high-skilled investment environment. Today marks a key milestone and reinforces our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that support Agratas and develops the skills needed for the industry.
Andy Berry, MBE
CEO, UCS College Group
With construction progress on site well underway, Agratas has recently launched an online portal that enables local people to register their interest in upcoming jobs at the facility – signalling the first phase of recruitment for around 1,600 jobs needed to start battery cell production. Opportunities span operations, maintenance, quality, technical, engineering, and logistics.
Once fully operational, the overall facility is set to create more than 4,000 jobs and contribute over £700 million in annual economic value to the South West region.
This partnership marks a powerful step forward for skills and workforce development across the South West, as well as for the UK battery sector. The formalisation of the collaboration between UCS College Group and Agratas reflects a shared commitment to building a future-ready talent pipeline and creating clear career pathways to support one of the UK’s most ambitious clean energy projects.
Establishing UCS College Group as our primary skills partner and coordinator ensures that local people and our future workforce will have access to high-quality learning opportunities. This unlocks a wide range of accessible career pathways, empowering individuals with the skills needed to thrive in advanced manufacturing and sustainable technologies.
Becki Robertson
VP of HR, Agratas
This new gigafactory will create thousands of jobs and apprenticeships in the South West and beyond. I’m proud of Skills England’s work at pace with sector experts to find a skills solution that works for them. The new battery manufacturing apprenticeship unit will be a valuable addition to the Growth and Skills Levy offer. By working together, we are building the jobs of the future, keeping skills training at the cutting edge.
Phil Smith
Chair of Skills England
As UCS College Group embarks on this joint venture, the group aims to create a lasting skills legacy, establishing a blueprint for future battery manufacturing projects in the UK. For more information, please visit www.ucscollegegroup.ac.uk.
