A £5.5 million engineering training centre is currently being constructed, which will play a key role in attracting further investment to a transformational development site south of the Humber.
The Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA) plans to open the new centre at Stallingborough in August 2023 in time to welcome 70 learners.
With the development of Pioneer Business Park, part of North East Lincolnshire Council’s £42m South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP), capacity will gradually increase as new services are offered to meet the needs of existing businesses and new arrivals.
Joanne Lawson, Deputy Chief Executive of HETA, said:
“Everything we do at HETA is led by employers – that’s always been our ethos. We develop new courses as and when they are requested and required. We are flexible, we can move quickly to put things in place and that’s what we are doing in Stallingborough.
“North East Lincolnshire Council know that the new training facilities will help to attract new companies into the area and we are working together to raise awareness of the new centre among businesses.”
As part of the SHIIP project, 189 hectares of land will be regenerated, and HETA has acquired nearly three acres for the construction of a two-storey facility providing workshops for individual training in fabrication, welding, machining, electrical and mechanical engineering.
The school will have nine classrooms, two IT suites, informal learning and recreation areas, and a gallery for viewing workshops.
The building will also have recreation and dining areas, sustainable drainage, eco-friendly landscaping, eco-friendly lighting and a low-maintenance sustainable heating system with PV solar panels.
A new access road will support parking for cars, bikes, and motorbikes.
The project received planning permission in September, and Hobson & Porter, a Yorkshire and Lincolnshire construction firm, has begun construction on site. Hobson & Porter has extensive experience supporting energy and engineering skills in the Humber region, including the Aura Innovation Centre and Orsted’s East Coast Hub.
As part of its work on HETA’s Hull headquarters, the company acquired and converted a former factory for £4.5 million in 2018. Founded in 2014, HETA also operates a training centre in Scunthorpe called Foxhills. With 350 employers, the business was founded in 1967 and currently has more than 500 apprentices on the programme.
Ms Lawson said: “We brought in Hobson & Porter quickly and are making good progress. The steel frame will go up in December and we expect to have the roof on in mid-January. Completion is due for the end of June and we will have access from April onwards to start fitting out the workshops.
“The building will be habitable in July and we’ll then get the furniture into the classrooms and the IT installed and ready for the learners when they arrive in August.
“The courses offered at our existing site in Stallingborough will move across to the new building which will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and will support training in new skills such as electric vehicle charging and renewables. We have about 65 learners at the current site and the numbers will increase to meet the employment requirements of the businesses.”
Joe Booth, Business Development Director at Hobson & Porter, said:
“We are delighted to be working again with HETA to deliver a flagship engineering training centre right in the heart of the Energy Estuary. We have a strong working relationship with HETA we are proud to deliver another valuable asset which will continue to deliver vital skills and training for local people and employers as the region continues to make its mark on the international stage.”
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said:
“It’s great to see this development on-site at Stallingborough – another milestone in the shaping of the business park. We’re committed to helping provide the best facilities for our young people to train for their future, helping to retain people and skills, and providing the best workforce we can for our future economy.”
