The build of a new £5.5 million engineering training centre to aid the skills provision in the Humber has begun.
Humberside Engineering Training Association (Heta) is on course to open the new centre at Stallingborough in time to welcome an initial 70 learners in August next year. It is a key part of the drive to attract further investment into a transformational development site on the South Bank.
Capacity will increase as new services are offered to meet the requirements of businesses already operating in the area, as well as potential new arrivals, as it outgrows the Catch facility, where the site operator has also just launched its first apprenticeships.
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Located on Pioneer Business Park, part of North East Lincolnshire Council’s £42 million South Humber Industrial Investment Programme, it will neighbour Myenergi - itself adding a huge manufacturing base alongside its headquarters, with steels now up.
Joanne Lawson, deputy chief executive of Heta, said: “Everything we do at Heta is led by employers – that’s always been our ethos. We develop new courses as and when they are requested and required. We are flexible, we can move quickly to put things in place and that’s what we are doing in Stallingborough.
“North East Lincolnshire Council knows that the new training facilities will help to attract new companies into the area and we are working together to raise awareness of the new centre among businesses.”
The SHIIP project is regenerating a total of 189 hectares of land and Heta has acquired nearly three acres to build a two-storey centre which will provide facilities, including workshops. to enable individual training in fabrication and welding, machining, electrical and mechanical engineering. In total there will be nine classrooms including two IT suites, informal learning and recreation spaces and a workshop viewing gallery. Other features will include recreation and dining space and the building will benefit from sustainable drainage, eco-friendly landscaping and lighting, and a low maintenance sustainable heating system with PV solar units on the roof.
Having revealed the proposal in February, Heta secured planning permission in September and Hull construction company Hobson & Porter has recently started work. The training organisation was founded in 1967 and currently has more than 500 apprentices on programme, working with 350 employers. Prior to moving to Stallingborough, it operated from the former Courtaulds site, with additional facilities opened in Scunthorpe in 2014.
Ms Lawson said: “We brought in Hobson & Porter quickly and are making good progress. The steel frame will go up in December and we expect to have the roof on in mid-January. Completion is due for the end of June and we will have access from April onwards to start fitting out the workshops. The building will be habitable in July and we’ll then get the furniture into the classrooms and the IT installed ready for the learners when they arrive in August.
“The courses offered at our existing site in Stallingborough will move across to the new building which will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and will support training in new skills such as electrical vehicle charging and renewables. We have about 65 learners at the current site and the numbers will increase to meet the employment requirements of the businesses.”
Hobson & Porter has a wealth of experience across the Humber region supporting skills in the energy and engineering sectors, including The Aura Innovation Centre in Hessle and Orsted’s East Coast Hub in Grimsby. The company also worked on Heta’s Hull headquarters, which opened in 2018 after the £4.5 million acquisition and conversion of a former factory.
Joe Booth, business development director at Hobson & Porter, said: “We are delighted to be working again with Heta to deliver a flagship engineering training centre right in the heart of the Energy Estuary. We have a strong working relationship with Heta we are proud to deliver another valuable asset which will continue to deliver vital skills and training for local people and employers as the region continues to make its mark on the international stage.”
Investment has been welcomed by North East Lincolnshire Council, with the local authority having brought forward the SHIIP programme to stimulate further investment, with a holistic approach including designated mitigation land to enable development at pace by creating rich wildlife habitat.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “It’s great to see this development on site at Stallingborough – another milestone in the shaping of the business park. We’re committed to helping provide the best facilities for our young people to train for their future, helping to retain people and skills, and provide the best workforce we can for our future economy.”
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