Fareham College has won the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon City & Guilds Award for Engagement with Employers.
The College won this award for its innovative initiative which seeks to ensure that the future training and skills requirements for civil engineering and construction businesses in the Solent region and beyond are met.
An estimated £15 billion worth of construction-based development is planned in Hampshire alone over the next five years. However, the sector is currently unable to meet the demand for skills required to deliver these economically crucial construction projects. In response to this skills shortage, Fareham College and the Solent Civil Engineering Employer Group (SCEEG) have worked in collaboration to design a highly innovative Civil Engineering and Groundworks Training Initiative, comprising a bespoke Apprenticeship programme, workforce upskilling and a purpose-built Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC) to deliver this specialist employer-led curriculum.
The Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges each year. This award, supported by City and Guilds, recognises exemplary practice in demonstrating an outstanding ability to work with and provide a direct service to employers. In particular, colleges that are effective in meeting employers’ skills needs and/or Apprenticeship requirements.
“Employability is at the heart of the Fareham College mindset. Working together with employers to directly address a recognised sector challenge, through the development of a skilled workforce, is invaluable for our students, for our employers and for the local and regional economic development as a whole” says Andrew Kaye, Principal and Chief Executive at Fareham College. “To have won this prestigious accolade is a fantastic achievement for the College and our partners.
Julie Nerney, Chair of the Charitable Trust said: “Colleges often don’t get the recognition they deserve. The AoC Beacon Awards aim to showcase exactly why colleges are so important and reward their dedication to learners and their progress into the workforce. Colleges produce the workers of the future, and it’s clear from the winning college’s work that their contribution to local and regional economic development is of enormous value.”
The new £4.1 million Civil Engineering Training Centre at Fareham College delivers a wide range of Apprenticeships and professional development courses, facilitating the ongoing success of the initiative in meeting the sector’s demands. “The Civil Engineering Training Centre offers unique civil engineering Apprenticeship programmes and professional training” explains David Richardson, Director of CETC and Construction at Fareham College. “This state-of-the-art facility is pioneering a change in the way in which construction industry training will be delivered, allowing us to provide long-term support to this important sector.”
For more information and to register your interest, visit fareham.ac.uk/cetc
