We are all absolutely thrilled to announce The South West Design Forum CPD programme has been allocated significant funding by the HERDA Higher Skills Project.

Huge thanks go to Stephanie Goodwin and also the Higher Skills Project Intermediaries, Cindy Dalgleish and Stella Yates, for their help in securing this outstanding award to help skills development within the sector along with the rest of project team: Richard Holt and Anna Traylor who have done a sterling job. We have also had help from Bel Reed and Victoria Pirie from Creative & Cultural Skills and Shamala Govindasamy at HERDA Higher Skills Project. In addition we have had help from the HEI representatives Gill Sandford (University of the West of England), Julie Depledge (Bath Spa), John Miller (UCF), Anthony Head (Bath Spa) and finally Matt Desmier (Arts Institute Bournemouth and fellow Board member).

We have been told that our bid was strengthened because we were able to show how we are working together as a sector across the region. The lead HEI will be Arts Institute at Bournemouth and Matt Desmier will take the project forward on behalf of the AIB and the Forum. The aim is to launch the project at the Summit on the 12th March.