South Hampshire College Group has officially opened a range of cutting-edge new learning and training facilities at Southampton College, as part of the South Coast Institute of Technology.
Business leaders, industry experts and senior educators were among the attendees at the launch event. Featured speakers from South Hampshire College Group, the South Coast Institute of Technology (IoT) and Tech Solent set the foundation for the day, before all attendees were given personal tours of the new facilities. These included state-of-the-art South Coast IoT tech labs and classrooms, new workshops for the Maritime, Engineering and Automotive industries, and specialised T Level digital suites.
Andrew Kaye, Chief Executive of South Hampshire College Group, said: “A core part of our work at South Hampshire College Group is to ensure we respond to local skills needs, as set out in the Local Skills Improvement Plan. I’m very pleased that the college group is in a position to have developed such outstanding resources to train the next generation of Southampton and the wider Solent region, and to support businesses in providing local economic growth. We are very grateful for the ongoing support from business to shape the curriculum we deliver.”
Tim Mayer, Sales Director of MDL Marinas, commented: “One of the challenges we have running a marina group is getting young people into the industry. One of the key reasons we’re here today is to look at skills gaps, explore innovation and see how we can partner better with educators. The better the talent we can bring into the business, the better the experience our customers are going to have, which will help our industry thrive.”
Andy Paterson, Faculty Leader at Cantell School, attended the IoT opening and commented: “We came to see the new facilities and find out more about what’s on offer, which will feed into Key Stage 4 provision within the school. We’re making students aware of the pathways they can take after Year 11. Maritime is a subject area where students don’t necessarily know as much as they should, and developments like this can only help and promote this career pathway.”
The South Coast Institute of Technology is an ambitious collaboration of seven education providers, comprising both further and higher education, and backed by over £13 million in funding from the Department for Education. It is designed to transform economic activity on the South Coast, through employer-shaped training that can fill skills gaps and provide exceptional young talent to industries in need.
To find out more about the South Coast Institute of Technology, please click here.
For any further queries, please contact South Hampshire College Group at [email protected].
