The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has awarded £400,000 to help deliver a dedicated energy transition skills hub (ETSH) in Aberdeen.

Plans for the new hub were unveiled in September 2023 with the collaborative venture involving the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ Ltd), Scottish Government, Shell UK and North East Scotland College (NESCol) as part of a consortium of private and public investment.

This extra funding, which comes from the ECITB’s investment in regional skills hubs, will further support the establishment and operation of the training facility, which is designed to help meet the current and future training needs of the energy transition.

The ECITB investment will fund the equipping and fitting of a modern welding academy within the facility, including 32 welding bays, to help meet the growing demand for welders in the region.

ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said: “Our labour forecasting tool predicts that the ECI could need thousands of additional workers over the coming years for major projects, including those that contribute to the country’s net zero goals.

“Without a pipeline of trained, skilled workers all this risks not being achieved, which is why we’re working with industry partners in the UK’s industrial cluster regions to grow the number of skilled engineers and craftspeople we need now and in the future.

“The ECITB is delighted to support the project, with the proposal highlighting the commitment of industry partners to be involved in the designing, equipping and curriculum planning for the facility.”

The project has already received £4.5m from the Scottish government’s Just Transition Fund, £2.3m from ETZ Ltd and £500,000 from NESCol to transform a disused dairy adjacent to the college’s Aberdeen Altens campus into a state-of-the-art skills facility.

The ECITB, alongside the founding partners and other industry representatives, will be part of an industry liaison group to help shape the curriculum.

Find out more about regional skills hub funding at: www.ecitb.org.uk/working-for-industry/regional-skillls-hub-funding/

EXPORT | DIVERSIFY | GROW

EXPORT | DIVERSIFY | GROW

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