East Riding College welcomed Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, to its Flemingate campus in Beverley this week for a ‘hard-hat tour’ of its brand-new Institute of Technology (IoT).
The tour allowed the local MP to view the progress of the college’s Institute of Technology, which is currently in the initial stages of construction. The facility is part of the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology and is one of only 12 such institutes across the country as part of a Government pilot.
The institute will provide specialist accommodation for higher-level engineering, construction and computing courses, in an effort to bring industry and education closer together to address areas suffering from ’skills gaps’.
The project has been supported by the Government’s Local Growth Fund, secured through the former Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The fund is now being managed by the Hull & East Yorkshire LEP.
Graham said, “It was very encouraging to see the new development on Flemingate in Beverley in the initial stages of construction. It’s great to see the Government’s investment into my constituency made real, in the form of bricks and mortar, showing how we’re working to boost economic growth through investment into skills and infrastructure.
“Mike and his team at the college have worked incredibly hard to give their students a world-class education even in the midst of a pandemic and I look forward to East Riding College continuing their sterling work at their new facilities.”
Mike Welsh, Principal at East Riding College, added: “I am delighted Graham is supportive of the development and I was pleased to be able to share our progress so far.
“We have worked with the LEP and our IoT partners from across the North to secure the funding to be able to establish the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology, to benefit our students and the regional economy.
“The institute at East Riding College represents an investment in higher-level technical engineering, construction and computing skills in the heart of East Yorkshire, providing our students with the opportunity to enter the jobs market with the higher-level skills employers need.”
The Yorkshire and Humber IoT brings investment of around £12million of capital funding into the region, which will be invested in industry-standard equipment and facilities to provide advanced technical training. It will help to enhance students’ employment opportunities and improve the number of suitably qualified candidates in the technical and professional jobs market.
The Yorkshire and Humber IoT has already received significant levels of employer support with digital and engineering businesses ViSR, CATCH, Skipton Building Society, GB Recruitment and ENGIE Fabricom each signing up as employer partners. They have been involved in designing the curriculum, supported by research from the IoT’s university partners, the University of Hull and the University of York St John.
Other colleges involved in the IoT consortium include Askham Bryan College, Bishop Burton College, Craven College, Scarborough TEC, Selby College and York College.
