A key moment for NETA’s £14.7m Thornaby development

A handover of keys marks the start of a new chapter for NETA Training as the wraps come off the new £14.7m engineering training centre in Thornaby.

The countdown now begins to see the first students and delegates through the doors in coming weeks, the culmination of a move that will combine NETA’s expertise in engineering training with brand-new facilities.

NETA director Karl Johnson said: “It is incredible to see the building complete and finally be able to make preparations for the start of the exciting transition of NETA staff, delegates and learners from our Pennine Avenue site.

“Now we get to make the building our own, bringing NETA’s unique character and history to the purpose-built centre in Thornaby.”

Made possible with an investment of £4.57m through the Thornaby Town Deal and delivered in partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, the NETA development is one of the priority interventions set to bring long-term change and investment to Thornaby as part of its Town Deal.

Government support and funding was also secured from the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Delivering engineering training, the new centre on Princeton Drive, which stands next to Stockton Riverside College, will include workshops for vocational training in areas including welding, fabrication, electrical, mechanical, pipefitting, domestic and commercial gas training.

Working with employers to upskill, rejuvenate and replenish their workforce and individual clients wishing to remain at the forefront of their trade, NETA delivers core industrial skills shaped to meet national demand and help achieve the government’s National Industrial Strategy.

Karl said: “After years in the planning and months in development, we can’t wait to see delegates, apprentices, students and employers reaping the benefits of training environments planned, designed and built to equip them or their workforces with the knowledge and practical capabilities to meet the skill demands that will drive our economy.”

With training facilities in Stockton, Redcar and now Thornaby, NETA Training is part of the Education Training Collective and will have a significant part to play in the group’s role as a leader in clean energy training, after recently being named a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College by the Department for Education.

The NETA development is also a flagship regional project for developer Britcon and this summer saw the construction company shortlisted for Construction Project of the Year at the Procure Partnerships Framework National Project Excellence Awards 2026.

The project was identified as a priority Town Deal intervention that could bring long-term change and investment by the Thornaby Town Deal Board, a group of key public and private sector stakeholders, including Thornaby councillors and the local MPs.

Welcoming the milestone moment in the delivery of the new NETA facility, Councillor Paul Rowling, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources and Regeneration, said: “We’re proud to be part of a partnership which will see this new state-of-the-art facility bring a whole host of benefits to Thornaby along with the wider Borough.

“The NETA development will play a pivotal role in bringing further investment and equip people with engineering and construction skills to help find meaningful, quality employment.

“It is sure to create transformational change in the town and I am looking forward to seeing students and employers benefit from this investment for many years to come.

Receiving the keys from Britcon on behalf of NETA, Mark White CBE DL, chair of the Thornaby Town Deal Board and chair of Stockton-on-Tees Strategic Education Board said: “I am delighted that this £4.57m investment, with support from the Thornaby Town Deal Board, allows the existing and upcoming workforce across the Tees Valley to benefit with modern, industry-standard facilities.

“It is even more significant that this top-class facility is located in the heart of Thornaby-on-Tees and I am very excited to see this important project bring long-term economic growth to the area.”