The Education Training Collective (Etc.) is proud to be a “strategic spoke” in ambitious new government plans to train 40,000 new construction learners by 2029.
Central to the government’s Plan for Change, 10 Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTECs) have been announced across the country, backed by £100m of investment, to meet demand in sectors such as housebuilding, engineering construction and green energy.
Operating on a ‘hub and spoke’ model, the newly designated CTECs will work with employers and training providers, to help address construction skill shortages and raise industry standards. This additional homegrown skilled workforce will be pivotal to the government’s aim to deliver 1.5m new homes and critical infrastructure, like schools and hospitals.
As a strategic spoke in the North East CTEC, led by Sunderland College, the Etc. (which includes NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College), will support by leading on specialist scaffolding training.
Etc. chief executive and group principal, Grant Glendinning, said: “We are proud to be working alongside colleagues from Sunderland College, part of Education Partnership North East (EPNE) and our fellow North East CTEC strategic spoke partners, to deliver skills that are clearly needed, as part of this national initiative that has the potential and backing behind it, to ultimately lead to quality, well paid jobs, for our learners.”
The Teesside-based college group already has a well-established strategic skills partnership with EPNE, aligned to support Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) across the North East, the Tees Valley and North of Tyne areas.
Grant said: “This has the foundations to be another example of colleges and providers working together for the greater benefit of our learners, our communities and wider regions. It is about looking beyond our own colleges’ four walls and collaborating to ensure individual areas of expertise are utilised in the best possible way, to maximise wider impact, plug skills gaps and ultimately grow and support our economy locally, regionally and nationally.”
The North East CTEC will be based at the Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy, managed by Sunderland College. Learners across the region will benefit from enhanced skills provision and access to specialist training.
Etc.’s focus on scaffolding training as part of the North East CTEC model coincides with the completion of its new NETA-led All Access Academy. The new £4.7m centre, complete with three purpose-built scaffolding training areas situated at Redcar and Cleveland College, was made possible by the government’s Levelling Up funding.
Stuart Blackett, chair of the Etc. governing board, said: “Collaboration is an integral part of our work here at the Etc., and indeed as part of the further education sector. As a strategic partner of the North East CTEC, we are looking forward to seeing individual areas of expertise brought together to help shape the future workforce and opportunities afforded to those entering the construction industry.”
Strategic education partners of the North East CTEC are: the Education Training Collective (incorporating NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College), Derwentside College, East Durham College, Hartlepool Sixth Form College, Northumberland College, Sunderland College and Tyne Coast College.
