Team Derby names five projects for £10m, with three aimed at skills and training

Five projects, three of them focused on skills and training, have been put forward to share £10m of government funding through the Team Derby partnership, the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) and Derby City Council announced in early November.

More than £6m of the total is earmarked for Derby city centre public realm work covering lighting, active travel, landscaping, wayfinding and public safety, according to EMCCA.

The remaining projects are an expansion of technical education for 16 to 18-year-olds through partnerships led by the University of Derby, a Skills Hub in the city centre, an extension of the council's Vacant to Vibrant scheme, and a World Craft Academy and Craft Skills Observatory at QUAD.

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: "The announcement of these five projects, backed by £10m of funding, is an important step in turning that ambition into real opportunities for people across Derby and the wider East Midlands."

The skills projects

EMCCA said the technical education proposal is intended to supply future talent for Derby's aerospace, rail, nuclear, advanced manufacturing and clean energy sectors. The Skills Hub is intended to bring employers, education providers and young people together in the city centre.

Baggy Shanker, Derby South MP, said: "Expanding technical education provision would give more young people the skills to start good careers in the city they call home."

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Derby City Council leader, said Team Derby was about providing the pipeline of skills the city's businesses need. She cited the announcement of the Great British Railways headquarters and Rolls-Royce securing a £2.5bn government contract for next-generation jet engines as recent developments for the city.

The Vacant to Vibrant extension builds on an existing scheme. According to the council's Ascend business support pages, funding is currently available to reactivate empty commercial units around the Cathedral Quarter and Becketwell area of Derby, and Ascend is at present only accepting applications for that scheme.

How the money got here

The proposed allocation draws on money awarded earlier in the year rather than new funding. Chancellor Rachel Reeves expressed support for Team Derby in the Budget 2025 speech on 26 November 2025, describing it as an initiative to drive growth in a defence industry hub.

EMCCA announced on 25 March 2026 that the Chancellor had awarded £10m to support the partnership, with stated priority areas of city centre regeneration, skills, connectivity and infrastructure, and Infinity Park Derby, part of the East Midlands Investment Zone. EMCCA said wider city centre regeneration plans include 4,500 new homes and commercial and innovation space.

Team Derby held its first meeting at Derby's Museum of Making on 30 April 2026, attended by the Chancellor, Derby City Council said. Senior representatives included the University of Derby, Rolls-Royce, Alstom, Toyota, Marketing Derby, Community Action Derby, Homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The meeting discussed four priority areas, including education, employment and skills.

In June the council said the funding, awarded to EMCCA on behalf of Team Derby, would be cascaded to the council as accountable body, and that it would work with the Team Derby Board to identify projects. Councillor Peatfield said at the time the funding would help develop skills for future workforces.

EMCCA then approved a grant funding agreement with Derby City Council for the onward award of the £10m capital funding, with a decision date of 1 October 2026, according to the authority's decision record.

Who is involved

Team Derby is a partnership of the Mayor of the East Midlands, Derby City Council and Derby MPs Baggy Shanker and Catherine Atkinson, alongside business, education and central government partners, EMCCA said.

Prof Kathryn Mitchell, University of Derby vice-chancellor and chief executive, said in March that the university's role was to drive economic vibrancy for the city through its skills, innovation and research agenda.

What happens next

Derby City Council is the accountable body for Team Derby. Its cabinet was due to be asked at its meeting on Wednesday 11 November to note the funding allocation and delegate decisions on individual projects to the appropriate officers and councillors.