19 Dec Council welcomes huge boost for local skills and jobs with £1.8 million investment in Harlow College
This latest government funding announcement of £1.8 million into the town will further boost access to new skills opportunities and support residents into high-quality jobs.
Harlow College will become part of the newly-announced South East Institute of Technology. The investment will be deployed to upgrade facilities and equipment to improve the breadth of higher technical training at the current campus.
This announcement comes on the back of Harlow Council securing a commitment of £500,000 from the Government’s Towns Fund in the project, which will improve local skills provision and provide people with the opportunity to work towards achieving a higher national diploma level in disciplines such as engineering, health sciences and transport and logistics.
The college will be partnering with two major local employers, The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust and London Stansted Airport Ltd, as well as Anglia Ruskin University.
Councillor Joel Charles, Deputy Leader of Harlow Council, said:
“The Government’s commitment to widening skills provision in Harlow is an important step forward and helps increase the ability for more people in the town to achieve their full potential.
“Harlow Council is committed to supporting a jobs and skills-led recovery in the town. The news that Harlow College will form part of the wider South East Institute of Technology means that residents are able to gain the higher-level technical skills increasingly required by employers who compete in competitive domestic and international markets. This week’s announcement is another step towards encouraging the development of a new pool of skilled workers that can be drawn on to increase the productivity of key sectors within the local and national economy today, and also in the future.
“The advent of Institutes of Technology was originally focused on helping to close critical skills gaps in the economy, but their wider purpose to train the talent needed in sectors impacted the most by the pandemic is equally important. The South East Institute of Technology will help to drive forward in earnest the council’s plans to extend opportunity and prosperity to all under the backdrop of a pandemic that is far from over.”
Institutes of Technology are unique collaborations between employers, colleges and universities that specialise in offering high-quality higher technical education and training in subjects including advanced manufacturing, digital and cyber security, aerospace and healthcare, which will deliver the skilled workforce businesses need and get more people into jobs closer to home.
