February 2025 Edition
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 Coventry City Council launched its Green Skills Roadmap last month - a comprehensive guide designed to support educators, employers and investors in identifying, accessing, and embedding sustainable net-zero skills into their operations. The roadmap contains a clear Action Plan which Coventry will address collaboratively with a range of partners including: Business in Community (BiTC), Coventry College, Coventry University, CW Chamber of Commerce, Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), E.ON, The University of Warwick, Warwick manufacturing group (WMG) and others.
In line with the Climate Change Strategy, Coventry is committed to building a robust skills ecosystem in helping businesses transition to sustainable practices and offering future generations the tools they need to succeed in green careers. Click the link below to read more about the Actions and to access the full Green Skills Roadmap.
 Coventry City Council has successfully secured funding from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) to enhance sustainability efforts at three leisure centres in the city.
Almost £750k has been awarded to The Alan Higgs Centre, Centre AT7 and Xcel Leisure Centre, all of which are operated by CV Life. A capital grant of £250,000 has been awarded to install solar panels at The Alan Higgs Centre, whilst Centre AT7 has received £270k for the installation of solar panels and the replacement of fluorescent lighting with LED lighting. Xcel Leisure Centre will also see the installation of LED lighting as well as an upgrade to its building management system which will be covered by a £220k grant.
Work to the centres started in January and is expected to be finished later this month. The installation of PV panels will contribute to energy efficiency and sustainability, ensuring long-term benefits for the facility and the local community. Click the link below to learn more about the SPSF.
The renovation and restoration of three 19th Century, Grade II listed summerhouses in Coventry is well underway, within the Grade II Registered Park and Garden at Stoney Road Allotments in Cheylesmore. This makes one of only four remaining detached Victorian town gardens that are listed on Historic England’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
Thus, Historic England has provided a £250k grant for the restoration of all three buildings – Railway Heritage Trust has also made a contribution, with support provided by Network Rail. The work will include complete repairs of the structures including the roofs, windows, doors and walls, using traditional methods and materials, according to Historic England Regional Director (Midlands) Louise Brennan. The renovation is expected to be completed by the spring this year.
 Coventry Grows is an exciting new initiative to create new community growing spaces in Coventry. The project has received funding through the Strategic Energy Partnership with E.ON and is in partnership with Grapevine, Garden Organic and Citizen.
With our partners, we will provide training, equipment and seeds to create up to three new community-led gardens. The proposed sites are Heath Road in Stoke Heath, Virginia Road in Hillfields and we are also exploring potential sites in Willenhall. There will also be opportunities for people to attend free training courses delivered by Garden Organic, and we hope people and groups will join in.
More information on how to get involved, including upcoming community meetings, is in the link below.
 The Strategic Energy Partnership between E.ON and Coventry City Council is working with tech startup Kestrix to use thermal camera drones and advanced 3D heat loss modelling at scale, providing real-world data on the performance of thousands of homes in Coventry at once. The drone survey takes a few minutes rather than the current model of home visits which can typically last hours. This will allow better and faster targeting of energy efficiency improvements with the aim of making homes more energy efficient and, ultimately, cheaper to heat.
The 3D heat loss models highlight opportunities for building improvements at scale, with machine learning insights recommending what improvements could work best and at lowest cost. Capturing this data at scale gives a clear blueprint of which homes are performing the worst across whole areas, meaning energy efficiency improvements can be targeted to those who need it most in a more efficient way.
The Coventry trial is the largest scale application of the Kestrix system in the world, and the drone thermal imaging will analyse more than 4,000 homes, centred on the Hillfields area in the east of the city. Click the link below to learn more about the startup and how it works.
The National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) at Coventry University need volunteers for a levelling up driving tracker study, funded by UKRI. The study is for local drivers to participate and express interest in signing up for a journey mapping trial. The purpose of the research is to understand the types of journeys people living in Coventry and the surrounding areas make daily to help Coventry City Council plan the future development of electric vehicle charging networks.
Those who sign up will be required to have their vehicle fitted with a data logger for 4 weeks. This small device is designed to wirelessly send GPS and driving information to the NTDC anonymously. This will enable them to ensure that future electric vehicle charging points are installed in the appropriate public locations. Those taking part will also receive a £50 voucher.
Read more about the journey mapping trial and express your interest.
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 Coventry City Council will be collaborating with Warwick Business School (WBS) on the prestigious UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators initiative. This is a global project that plans on highlighting the role and significance of cultural sustainability. It aims to measure and draw on various aspects of cultural impact, from heritage to education, using evidence-based results and building a knowledge base for action at all levels.
Mark Scott, Research Fellow at WBS, said: “The inclusion of the city of Coventry and WBS in this project not only reinforces Coventry's legacy as a City of Culture but also highlights Warwick Business School’s commitment to leveraging research and data to drive impactful global change.” By contributing to this ground-breaking project, WBS and Coventry are helping to shape policies and practices that will benefit communities everywhere.
Are you passionate about the environment? Are you delivery-focused? Do you enjoy engaging with communities?
This is an exciting opportunity to join Coventry City Council as a Climate Change Officer, playing an important role in delivering our One Coventry Plan and Climate Change Strategy. You will contribute to the management of the day-to-day performance and delivery of key projects identified within the Climate Change Action Plan, including retrofit and innovation programmes such as helping to develop the city’s first Net Zero Neighbourhood.
It is a 12-month fixed term contract, and the deadline for application is 24 February. More details and how to apply.
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Sustainability West Midlands is looking for somebody with an interest in sustainability and making a positive difference, ideally as part of a placement year during university. The voluntary placement would look to aid the successful candidate to progress their early career into paid employment within the sustainable development sector. The role includes various skills in research, writing, planning and coordinating events, reporting and analysis all with a sustainability focus.
The deadline for application is 31 March. More details about the job description and how to apply.
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 Severn Trent will be hosting a Jobs fair on 6 March from 10am-2pm at Coventry’s Transport Museum, free to attend. There will be the opportunity to meet employers as well as take part in sessions on CV writing, interview practice and confidence-building. There will also be organisations there to offer advice on cost of living, how to get back into work and more.
This event is for anyone above the age of 16.
For regular updates subscribe to our newsletter. To get in touch with the Council regarding climate change and sustainability, including featuring in an article in a future newsletter, please email us at Climatechange@Coventry.gov.uk
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