NCG is pleased to announce that Newcastle College has secured £8.48 million to expand its Energy Academy helping to supercharge green skills training in the region.
The funding, awarded by the North East Combined Authority (NECA), will support the creation of a brand-new Energy Campus right next door to the existing Academy. This means more space, more specialist equipment, and room for three times as many learners to train for careers in renewable energy, offshore, and subsea engineering.
It’s a huge step forward for the College and for the region. With thousands of new jobs expected in the green energy sector over the next decade, this expansion will help make sure local people have the skills they need to take advantage of those opportunities.
Jon Ridley, Principal of Newcastle College, said: “Newcastle College’s Energy Academy has been a cornerstone of skills development in the North East’s rapidly expanding clean energy sector for 13 years — empowering today’s workforce and inspiring and developing the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow.
“Our bold proposal to expand the Energy Academy represents a transformative step forward: scaling up our impact, strengthening our collaboration with industry, and equipping even more people with the skills needed to lead the green energy revolution.
“It was fantastic to welcome the North East Mayor and Mayor of North Tyneside to our Energy Academy to show them the real potential of this investment. We are proud to be driving this vision and are excited about the expansion of our Wallsend site."
North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, said: “With this investment, the expansion of the Energy Academy will help even more young people develop the specialist green skills required to meet the needs of one of our region’s fastest growing sectors. Eventually the expansion will mean three times more people can study here which is brilliant. This is such an exciting project for the future of young people in our region, and I was delighted to chat to students and staff at the academy about this investment and see their training in action.”