New Skills Centre Planned for Harwich
Colchester Institute, the largest vocational training provider in North Essex, is joining forces with Harwich International Port, owned by Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, in order to create ‘The Energy Skills Centre at Harwich.’
The new Skills Centre will have an engineering focus and is set to be developed in Harwich, to meet the current needs of employers in the area – with a keen eye on the offshore wind energy industry of the emerging East Anglian Energy Coast.
This exciting project, set within the port estate, will provide a range of further education and apprenticeship programmes to assist business development and regeneration – all to be created by the well established Centre for Engineering, at the College. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by both parties that will see the College make a significant investment to refurbish and fit out premises with state of the art equipment within Hamilton House, Parkeston.
The College hopes to begin the Further Education training programmes, in engineering and welding, from early 2012. There are also plans for over 200 learners to be trained in the Centre during the 2012-13 academic year across a range of programmes, which will also include pre-apprenticeships. What’s more, the College will look at designing further courses, specifically with employers in mind. Danny Clough, Principal and Chief Executive said “Colchester Institute welcomes the opportunity to work with far sighted employers to develop such a vocational facility in Harwich. The College is particularly pleased to provide opportunities for students who wish to develop careers within engineering, at large, and energy creation, specifically.”
The Centre will link with other training providers such as Harwich and Dovercourt High School and the Harwich Mayflower Project, to ensure the town can offer a range of engineering-based training options for school children and school leavers. Nigel Mountford, Headteacher said‘‘I have been keen to see such a development in the town for some time. Conversations with a number of possible providers have taken place over the last year and I am so pleased that Colchester Institute is helping to lead the way. Their excellent experience and reputation will help the school develop courses from Year 7 to Year 13. This partnership is important for our students and community and, alongside the support from Essex County Council to the school, the long term prospects for our young people are excellent.”
Colchester Institute will also be working closely with Job Centre Plus providing pre-employment programmes for the unemployed through the Energy Sector Based Work Academy based at The Energy Skills Centre at Harwich. These programs will be linked to the career aspirations of individuals as well as meeting the labour market demands of existing Harwich employers and any new businesses to the area.
Essex County Council, Tendring District Council, and Tendring Regeneration Limited are all in support of the development – with Tendring Regeneration providing a financial contribution towards project development costs and project management advice. Neil Stock, Leader of Tendring District Council, said the Council fully backed this exciting new initiative. “We recognise that it is vital that we all work together to improve the skills of our residents and that those skills must match the demands of the market,” he said. “The Energy Skills Centre at Harwich will be a big step in the right direction and ties in with the emerging offshore wind energy industry. It will help attract investment into Tendring and in turn will create new jobs.”
Councillor Stephen Castle, Cabinet Member for Education and the 2012 Games at Essex County Council added: “We are currently supporting apprenticeships relevant to the energy sector and working with local schools and colleges to ensure that our young people are aware of the opportunities on their doorstep and in a position to make the most of them. The Skills Centre will be a major asset to this work for Tendring and for Essex”.
Councillor Kevin Bentley, Cabinet Member for Economic Development said “It is excellent news that the Energy Skills Centre is set to be developed in Harwich and we fully support it. Essex County Council recognises the far reaching opportunities offered by the energy sector now and in the coming years. To this end, we have already signed an Energy Skills Memorandum of Understanding with Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils to identify future opportunities for local business and residents.
With the East Anglian Energy Coast already being host to the world’s largest offshore wind market it is clear that there will be a need to upskill the local workforce to meet the needs of the offshore wind industry, and having an onsite training facility can only assist attracting major investment in this regard.
The development will provide Colchester Institute with a further presence in the area, working in conjunction with the Learning Shop @ Dovercourt, which specialises in Employability Skills, IT, English and Maths through learndirect courses.
