Clean Energy Education Hub

Efforts to equip Teesside’s future workforce with the skills for employment in lower carbon energy are being given a boost with the addition of 20 new Teesside Clean Energy Technician scholars at Redcar and Cleveland College.

The college is working with bp to give school leavers the training and inspiration to access future quality jobs in renewable and low carbon industries and at the same time encourage more females to consider careers in engineering.

The group of 20 new students, including 10 female scholars, were presented with branded overalls and personal protective equipment from the energy company at an official presentation at the college.

“These students are embarking on a flagship programme, developing invaluable skills in engineering that will open doors to in-demand careers and educational opportunities,” said the college’s head of construction, engineering and service industries, Emma Booth.

“We are particularly pleased to be able to welcome an equally mixed group, going some way, in our own small part, to tackle gender imbalances in the sector.

“The opportunities afforded to all the scholars cannot be overestimated in terms of knowledge, experience and making industry links, all at the very earliest point in their future career.

“We are confident our scholars, will become competitive assets in the job market, well prepared for future challenges in the sector.”

First launched with 21 scholars last year, the Teesside Clean Energy Technician scholarship is primarily aimed at school leavers aged 16 to 18 and delivered from Redcar and Cleveland College’s Clean Energy Education Hub.

With major plans for development in the Tees Valley, bp is investing in young people. The college’s scholarship, backed by bp, is underpinned by a shared desire to raise aspirations and support the next generation of engineers.

Feeling fortunate, Evie Lodge, 18 of Middlesbrough, is among those joining the programme. She said: “This is a great opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge. I am particularly looking forward to getting to know exactly how a carbon capture plant process works.”

Freya Dickens, 16, of Middlesbrough, added: “Renewable energy is important for the future and so to have an opportunity like this, is certainly something to be proud of.”

Also keen to make a difference, both as a female in engineering and with a focus on playing her part in the transition to lower carbon energy, Phoebe Greetham, 17, said: “I chose the Teesside Clean Energy Technician Scholarship because, as a young woman, I strive to make a difference in the world.”

Thomas Thayer, UK skills partnership manager at bp, said: “We’re excited to continue supporting the Clean Energy Technician scholarship programme, and to welcome this year’s cohort after the brilliant progress of last year’s intake. The programme builds on our ongoing support for Redcar and Cleveland College and will help young Teessiders learn low carbon skills to prepare them for future career opportunities.”

Opened in 2023, Redcar and Cleveland College’s Clean Energy Education Hub was primarily funded by the UK Government’s Towns Fund, as part of Levelling Up plans, to equip people with skills needed for quality jobs now and in the future.

Redcar and Cleveland College today opened the doors to its Clean Energy Education Hub, part of a recent £6.5m investment in college facilities.

Made possible by the Redcar Town Deal investment plan, the new £3.2m training centre will focus on giving people the skills to meet the demands of Teesside’s growing renewable and low carbon sector.

"We are incredibly proud to deliver this outstanding new facility that responds to the exciting clean energy employment opportunities across the Tees Valley,” said Redcar and Cleveland College principal, Jason Faulkner.

The college has worked in collaboration with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and industry giants, including bp and Northern Gas Networks, who stepped up to help shape plans.

The Clean Energy Education Hub’s £2.4m capital injection is a flagship project of the Town Deal Fund.

Darren Winter, chair of the Redcar Town Deal Board, said: “The Redcar Town Deal board is delighted to have been able to support this fantastic project. It will make a positive difference in the lives of people in Redcar and the surrounding area by equipping them with the relevant skills needed now in jobs and in the future, especially in new technologies.”

The Clean Energy Education Hub will specialise in clean and renewable industry training for school leavers, apprentices and adult learners, including commercial courses, bespoke employer led programmes and higher education.

It incorporates an all-new carbon capture rig, designed and built to help train and inspire the next generation of Net Zero engineers.

Kitted out with all new specialist high tech equipment, it will support training in EV charging, solar PV installation, air source heat pump installation and maintenance, industrial mechanical, and electrical training.

As the college is the Tees Valley’s official Retrofit Academy CIC training partner, the new facility will also offer retrofit courses, helping to meet the government’s 2050 Net Zero targets.

Supporting the project, energy giant bp has provided £50,000 in funding for the development, backed 20 paid engineering scholarships for school leavers starting at the college this September and committed to help the hub reach into primary and secondary schools to inspire young people across Teesside to pursue careers in clean energy.

Louise Kingham, bp’s UK head of country and senior vice president of Europe, said: “At bp we’re excited to be partnering with Redcar and Cleveland College to invest in young Teessiders, and to help them access the high-quality low carbon jobs and long-term careers. The Clean Energy Education Hub can be a vital support for our planned hydrogen and CCS projects and can help turn Teesside into a national leader for low carbon energy, with local people at the heart of that transition.”

Andrew Carter, assistant director for growth and enterprise at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “It is fantastic that the Clean Energy Education Hub will now be opening doors for many local people who want to access the green energy industry which is promised on Teesworks. The hub will provide the skills and training needed ensuring people can access high-quality and well-paid jobs created within the sector.

“As a council we have been proud to work in partnership with the college on this project. It is also the first project from the Redcar Town Deal to be delivered, so I’d like to congratulate everyone who is working so hard to transform Redcar for the better.”

The launch of the hub comes as students at Redcar and Cleveland College are reaping the benefits of DfE T Level investment in new workshops, specialist engineering equipment, a revamped healthcare wing and nursery, following a further £3.3m cash injection in facilities.

With funding from the Department for Education’s T Level Capital Funding grant, the college has been approved to deliver T Level courses with specialist routes in engineering, health science and early years.

Facilities include high spec engineering equipment, outdoor training spaces, a refurbished health wing and early years teaching nursery.

College principal Jason said: “It is fantastic to see the college going from strength to strength and playing a key part in preparing local people for the industries of the future. Every investment in our facilities is an investment into the surrounding area, our young people and our wider communities.”

Construction of Redcar and Cleveland College’s Clean Energy Education Hub is underway in a move to help prepare people for future green jobs coming to the Tees Valley.

First spades in the ground on the site on Corporation Road mark the development of the £3.2m facility which will deliver the skills needed by employers in the clean energy and renewable sector, and also drive the ambitions of young people across the borough.

Redcar and Cleveland College principal, Jason Faulkner, said: “We have been bowled over by the level of support this initiative has generated, both across the region and nationally.”

Primarily funded by the Town Deal Fund, the hub will provide a practical learning environment that simulates real workspaces to service domestic and industrial markets.

The college is working with the Redcar Town Deal Board, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, the combined authority and industry leaders to ensure the hub is positioned to support the area’s emerging green economy.

Jason said: “Teesside and the Tees Valley is lining itself up to be a green cluster for global businesses leading the way in greener, cleaner ways of living and working. By working with leaders in the clean and renewable energy industry we will be able to ensure a training provision that responds to the real demands of the sector, not just in the short term but also in five, 10, 15 years’ time.”

Contractor Britcon has been appointed to deliver the project, a 1000 square metre new build which will link to the college’s existing building with its own access route. Doors are due to open to its first learners in January 2023.

With additional investment from the Education Training Collective and the Skills Development Fund, the hub will deliver training to school leavers and adult learners, as well as offering higher education, commercial, professional, and bespoke employer-led programmes.

The project has been further boosted by the commitment of a donation from bp to bring community engagement and further development to the hub, with a focus on raising awareness of the opportunities within the clean energy sector among local school children. The company has announced plans for three projects in the region: HyGreen Teesside, which will utilise green hydrogen, H2Teesside, which will produce blue hydrogen, and first-of-a-kind gas-fired power and carbon capture project NZT Power.

Masudur Rahman, bp’s social performance manager in the UK, said: “It’s great to see work starting on the Clean Energy Education Hub at Redcar and Cleveland College. We’re proud to support their efforts to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and help equip them with the skills to pursue careers in the low carbon industry. Supporting the next generation energy innovators is an important part of our wider backing of Teesside helping to create a net zero future and nurturing the talent we will need to help get us there.”

Darren Winter is chair of the Redcar Town Deal Board, he said: “The Town Deal aims to make a positive difference to the lives of people in Redcar and the surrounding area. The hub is great news for all young people in the borough which is specially designed to equip them with the relevant skills needed in jobs now and in the future, especially in sectors in emerging technologies.”

Mary Lanigan, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, added: “The hub will provide a fantastic opportunity for residents to gain the skills which will lead to a well-paid and successful career in the industries of the future. Our borough will be at the heart of a green energy revolution, and we want all our residents to benefit from this.”

Describing Teesside as being “at the epicentre of the UK’s clean industrial future”, Jacob Young, Conservative MP for Redcar, said: “With everything from new hydrogen technology to the manufacturing of wind farm blades coming to Teesside, renewable energy is perhaps the most crucial link in that chain.

“What is more crucial still is that it is Teessiders who benefit from the high-quality, well-paid jobs being created in this exciting new sector. And so, I not only welcome, but applaud the creation of Redcar and Cleveland College’s £3.2m Clean Energy Education Hub.

“By providing Teessiders with the training programmes our new industry needs, we're ensuring local people will become the primary beneficiaries of the UK’s green industrial revolution.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “I’m delighted to see spades in the ground on this exciting project. Schemes like these are helping to give current and future generations the best possible chance to take advantage of the opportunities we’re creating within the safer, cleaner and healthier industries of tomorrow.

“With the government and major global companies such as bp investing in Teesside, this centre will help support the sectors of the future that are central to my plan for jobs, a plan that is already creating good-quality, well-paid jobs for local workers.

“This is the latest in a long list of initiatives boosting our region's clean energy credentials, building on our work to become the UK’s premier location for offshore wind and supporting projects like Net Zero Teesside which is developing the UK’s first decarbonised industrial cluster. Together these will supercharge plans for Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool to become a national powerhouse for clean energy.”

Nick Shepherd, managing director of Britcon, added: “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Redcar and Cleveland College and all stakeholders to deliver this exciting green energy training building.

“We have a strong delivery pedigree within the North-east and our strategy is always to maximise the use of local suppliers and support employment and training opportunities. This project provides another fantastic opportunity to leave a real local legacy whilst supporting the important development of the clean energy sector.”