Ambitious plans by careers and apprenticeships expert Daniel Canavan to support young people into work have taken a major step forward.
Daniel founded The Spark Group with a vision to create long-term future work for North Staffordshire teenagers by giving them the skills needed to support the UK’s green energy needs.
Now Gareth Mobley and Gareth Higgins, two well-established Staffordshire business owners, have backed The Spark Group with a joint six figure investment.
Daniel, of Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, previously headed up Staffordshire-based PM Training and has years of experience in providing a pathway into work for young people.
He said: “The UK needs to make a major investment in skills if it is to meet its net zero target. Fundamentally, this means creating scores of new apprenticeships in areas such as retrofitting homes.
“My vision is to use this need to inspire the workforce of the future in North Staffordshire. The Spark Group will equip apprentices with the skills and create its own retrofitting arm, Spark Contracts, to fit out homes across the area.”
For more than a year, Daniel has been laying the foundations of The Spark Group and the investment will mean a giant leap forward.
Added Daniel: “Gaining the support of our investment partners is a huge boost to the aims of The Spark Group. The cash injection secured from Gareth Mobley and Gareth Higgins will allow The Spark Group to push forward by providing Spark with a base from which we will manage the business and recruit and train apprentices in green careers.
“They also bring with them a wealth of expertise and experience.”
Gareth Mobley, co-founder of Complete Ventures, a group of experienced investors, said: “There is a chronic lack of options and therefore aspiration in our city with too few options for our young people.
“It is my belief that The Spark Group can help solve this, ultimately generating skills and wealth for families and the local area.”
Mr Mobley previously grew Solidor, a door manufacturing company, based in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, from a start-up to a company with annual revenues of over £50m a year and 350 staff.
He said that experience of working with Daniel at Solidor had led to a conversation, adding “When I caught up with Dan and heard about his plans, I thought how could I not commit to an investment in such a great project.”
Gareth Higgins MBE. Managing Director of the KMF Group, a Newcastle, Staffordshire based precision engineering company, said: “Dan’s vision of a highly trained skills-based workforce fits perfectly with our ethos at KMF.
“The UK needs new engineers to fulfil its Net Zero aims and Dan’s plans to inspire young people to take on the challenge will both help to achieve this and help to create young workers in North Staffordshire to aspire to reach new heights.”
The UK has an aim to decarbonise electricity production by 2035. According to a report commissioned by the Local Government Association there were 185,000 full-time workers in England’s low-carbon and renewable energy economy in 2018. This will rise to a potential 1.18 million jobs by 2035.
The Spark Group was founded by Daniel in 2023 to both help to create low carbon energy jobs and to train people to do them.
Running alongside Spark Contracts is Spark Education. In just one year, Daniel has spoken to over 1,000 young people across North Staffordshire, through school assemblies and careers events.
He said: “Our young people recognise the urgent need to decarbonise energy in the UK and Spark Education taps into their enthusiasm and willingness to embrace the climate change agenda.
“Every young person has a spark and it’s important that we work towards igniting their interest in building future careers.”
To find out more about the Spark Group please go online to https://thespark.group/
ENDS
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