More than 100 industry guests attended the official launch of Colchester’s new CPCS-certified training centre.
The new training centre, at Colchester Institute, will provide students the opportunity to gain education and hands-on experience with the latest plant machinery models through fast-track programmes.
It is hoped the centre will help tackle the skills shortage while providing a pipeline of new talent for major infrastructure projects in the region like Sizewell C and the Lower Thames Crossing.
The centre has been made possible thanks to the support of Hertfordshire-based plant hire specialists Lynch, who will help deliver the training.
Gary Horne MBE, Deputy Chief Executive at Colchester Institute, said he hopes the centre will help combat unemployment in the region.
He added: “We are delighted to officially open the centre. It is the next step on our journey as a clean energy technical excellence college, opening up opportunities for people in our local communities to train in the construction sector.
“We know with the amount of infrastructure projects underway across the East of England there is a real demand for construction operatives – and this centre will train people in quick time to ensure they can upskill and almost immediately apply for roles at Sizewell C, the Lower Thames Crossing and other infrastructure projects in Essex and beyond.
“It’s fabulous to see it ready. We’ve already got a cohort ready to go who have completed their pre-entry qualification and they will be the first of a succession coming through over the next six to eight months.”
The centre will provide a variety of short course programmes to provide students with practical skills and industry knowledge, including a Plant Operator Programme and Traffic Marshall and Roller Programme.
Morgan Lee, a CPCS student who will start at the college next week, said he hoped training at the centre could help open doors to work at Sizewell C.
He added: “The doors this centre will open for me won’t only be beneficial for me now, but for the future as well.
“I like learning and being engaged with everything going on on a site – and this course and this partnership is a goldmine for that.
“The people involved have so much knowledge to give people like me and those learning with me to help us progress in the industry.
“I’m excited not only to learn from Lynch themselves, but to expand my knowledge with the tutors and staff here too.
“The people putting this together deserve the praise as they’re allowing people like me to progress in a field they’ve dedicated their life’s work to. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The new facility has been made almost entirely from recycled materials following the demolition of a temporary building on its site in 2021.
The plant and equipment used on site will also run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to further boost the programme’s environmental credentials.
Ruairi Coffey, Head Of Skills & Sustainability at Lynch, said: “Lynch partnered with Colchester Institute in recognition of the amazing job they do in education in the region, but additionally because working across projects like Sizewell C, the Lower Thames Crossing and other energy jobs, we recognise the need for local upskilling and the need to create jobs for local people.
“The students are going to undertake a variety of courses – all CPCS and industry accredited training.
“It’s absolutely massive for firms like us to be working with education institutions.
“There’s a lot of talk in the news about the disconnect between education and employers, so where we can partner like this and mix our site experience with their educational background and create something that will actually lead to jobs, it is so so important.
“It’s not just about training people to pass a test, it’s about training people to have a long-term career in the industry driving these machines.”
The college has also partnered with the Department for Work and Pensions to reach more potential students, with a target set for 96 people to complete the scheme this year.
Further support for the project has been provided by the Essex Growth Agency, an arm of Essex County Council.
Johnathon Cuthbertson, who heads the agency, said: “Essex Growth Agency’s principal missions are to get people into jobs, support business growth and develop the economy here in Essex. Our work with Colchester Institute is all about that.
“This new partnership is an exciting opportunity to connect people looking for work or a career change into real roles in the industry. I can’t emphasise its importance enough.
“This is going to be absolutely transformative for Essex. We’ve got such big growth happening in the construction industry.
“What we’re doing here is training our future skills pipeline to deliver future growth in Essex.
“This is hugely important.”
