PwC welcomes signing of Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal

Prime Minister Theresa May and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have formally sign off a deal that will bring £1.3 billion worth of investment into the South East of Scotland.

The Scottish Government and the UK government will each invest £300 million over the next 15 years into the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal which aims to deliver inclusive economic growth across the region through housing, innovation, transport, skills and culture. When taken together with contributions from partners, the deal will result in an investment of more than £1.3bn in the economy of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland region.

The funds will go to scientific research on space, health sciences, agri-tech and food and drink at Heriot-Watt, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh universities.

The deal will also see the creation of five new innovation hubs, including in robotics and space technologies, and a new 1000-seat Edinburgh concert hall.

The Scottish Government’s investment will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people.

The Scottish Government’s investment in the City Region includes:

“That is why when PwC set out a strategy to put technology at the heart of our business, we quickly partnered with the University of Edinburgh, along with St Andrews, to launch our Data Science Graduate Apprenticeship with the first students enrolled in September 18.”

In May PwC joined forces with the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews to launch a Data Science Graduate Apprenticeship. Up to 20 apprentices in the first cohort will begin this new work-based learning route to a BSc data science degree in September.

The fully-funded data science Graduate Apprenticeship is backed by Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

The aim is to help boost technology employment and enhance Scotland’s skills base in response to rapid innovations in industry.