College secures government funding towards £10m top class engineering facility

PLANS to build a state-of-the-art engineering facility that could transform Teesside’s net zero aims are one step closer, thanks to £4m of government funding secured by Middlesbrough College.

The successful bid, secured through the Department for Education’s ‘Further Education Capital Transformation Fund’ and announced this week, forms part of a £10m investment into the replacement and relocation of the current TTE site.

Home to the technical training provider and hundreds of learners and apprentices, the move will see existing TTE provision of workshop training areas, teaching classrooms and staff facilities relocated to a purpose-built facility at the College’s Middlehaven campus, on development land adjacent to its STEM Centre.

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College, said:

“We’re delighted to secure this vital funding from government, which forms part of our £10m green energy investment commitment.

“The new TTE facility will be a UK centre of excellence for STEM subjects, accessible to employers across the Tees Valley and giving TTE students and staff the high-tech facilities and equipment they deserve.

“The investment will also allow us to expand into new sectors such as clean, green and renewable energy, retrofit, zero carbon and offshore high voltage, securing technical skills that are in demand and valued by local employers, to name British Steel, Quorn and Anglo American, among others.

“This investment takes us one step closer to helping our region realise its potential. We are proud to offer the young people of the North East a fantastic specialist education in STEM, and this new funding helps us to go even further.”

Since its acquisition of TTE in 2019, Middlesbrough College Group is the largest engineering training provider for school leavers in the country. Subject to a planning application approval, the new facility will train 300 full time students, 300 apprentices and 500 adults, alongside a thriving international cohort.

The project has received the backing of employers across the region, along with the support of Redcar MP and former TTE apprentice Jacob Young.

Commenting on the plans, Jacob said:

“As a former TTE apprentice, I know from first hand experience how technical training can lead towards hugely rewarding careers in the kind of industrial sectors that are set to expand at a rapid rate in our region over the coming years.

“As we kickstart the green industrial revolution we will need all hands on deck, so this is great news for anybody looking to develop the skills needed to benefit from our clean industrial future and I thank Middlesbrough College for bringing them forward.”

Tony Malone, engineer at British Steel Teesside, added:

“British Steel and TTE have an excellent long-standing working relationship, which has developed over many years. In fact, the current TTE site is British Steel’s original training facility – so news of this investment into the facility is incredibly exciting.

“The new purpose-built site at Middlehaven is a massive investment into the future of our business, and others. It will allow TTE to provide apprentices for decades to come, with the right industrial skills and behaviours to easily transition into the workplace.

“We’re proud to be part of this transformation. “

The project will be supported by a £1m contribution from Middlesbrough Council, with the remaining £5m invested by Middlesbrough College. The College aims to open the new TTE centre in the next two years, subject to planning approval.