A county council plan, which aims to help young people develop career focused skills and improve economic growth, is set to be approved.

The Staffordshire County Council's Skills for Growth Plan has a major focus on securing investment to expand education and training opportunities for young people, outlining a £150 million programme to strengthen the county's workforce.

This amount includes £40 million already secured and a further £110 million being sought from the Department for Education to expand 16 to 18 education and training provision.

A key component of the plan is building the right learning infrastructure throughout Staffordshire following evidence that college capacity will not meet rising demand as a result of population growth and ambition.

The council and its partners have committed to ensuring that the county has the right facilities, partnerships and capacity to meet future skills demand.

Without the investment, there is a risk of many young people missing out on education and training opportunities as well a potential increase in skills shortages for local employers.

Working with local colleges and partners, Staffordshire County Council has formulated a detailed case for investment demonstrating the need for new and improved facilities such as college buildings and specialist technical provision.

The funding would ensure there would be enough high-quality places for young people while supporting adults to reskill and upskill.

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The plan builds on the county's wider ambition to be an attractive prospect for investment, innovation and growth for all its communities, allowing residents to access better-paid, sustainable jobs and businesses the skilled workforce they need.

Other important sections of the plan include helping more people into work, strengthening careers advice for young people, and expanding lifelong learning opportunities.

To achieve these core priorities, the county council will further develop successful programmes like the Staffordshire Jobs and Careers Service, Connect to Work, the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub and its Community Learning courses.

Robin Hall, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for economy and skills, said: "It is vital that we have the right foundations in place across Staffordshire to help people develop the skills they need to secure better jobs and careers, while ensuring our businesses can access the workforce they need to grow.

"That means investing in both facilities and provision.

"Our Skills for Growth Plan makes a strong case to Government for £110 million to expand further education capacity across the county.

"Combined with funding already secured, this would create a £150 million programme of investment in skills, training and employment support.

"This is about creating opportunity.

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"Every young person should be able to access high-quality education and training close to home, while businesses have the confidence to invest and expand knowing a skilled local workforce is available.

"Growing opportunity, raising aspirations and supporting economic growth across Staffordshire are key priorities for this administration."

Cabinet is set to discuss the Skills for Growth Plan on Wednesday 17 June.