£500,000 green skills centre to address UK’s...

NORTHAMPTON College has unveiled a £500,000 Green Skills Centre at its Booth Lane campus, aimed at tackling the UK’s critical shortage of construction workers equipped with modern ‘green skills’. The facility, designed to train up to 250 students annually, will play a pivotal role in upskilling adults transitioning into the construction industry and enhancing the capabilities of existing professionals in sustainable practices. The centre will also underpin several green initiatives spearheaded by Northampton College, including the Big Rig Low Carbon Challenge, a programme promoting careers in sustainable construction to secondary school students across the county. Created by Quantum, a decarbonisation and renewable energy training specialist, the Green Skills Centre features state-of-the-art rigs and bays for training on air and ground source heat pumps, solar PV, solar thermal, wind generation, electric vehicle charging and other sustainable technologies. Students will gain hands-on experience with industry-leading equipment such as Daikin air source heat pumps, ensuring they are well prepared for the demands of the green construction sector. Deputy principal Patrick Leavey said: “We tasked Quantum with creating one of the top renewable technology centres in the country and they have exceeded expectations. This exceptional facility will not only support the UK’s carbon reduction targets but also address the significant skills gap within the construction workforce, ensuring we are prepared to meet the growing demand for green technologies. “This is a tremendous asset for Northamptonshire and the wider region, helping to build a highly skilled workforce in sustainable construction that is essential across the UK.” Mark Bradshaw, Northampton College’s construction curriculum manager, added: “The technology within our Green Skills Centre is cutting-edge, replicating best practices in the industry. With support from Castle Climate Control and Thorn Electrical, we will be offering masterclasses and developing competency and licence-to-practise courses across a range of green technologies, including a dedicated sustainability course.” Located adjacent to the college’s Advanced Construction Engineering Centre, the new facility will also strengthen its ongoing collaboration with the University of Northampton, focusing on research into the efficient design and adoption of low-carbon technologies. Green skills have been identified as a priority in the Local Skills Improvement Plan and the development of the centre has been partially funded through the Local Skills Improvement Fund.