Centres of Excellence for Engineering and Construction coming to West Dorset

Dorset’s engineering and construction industries continue to benefit from investment in state-of-the-art training facilities for students at Weymouth College. 

A £1.36 million Local Growth Fund allocation from Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (Dorset LEP) will allow Weymouth College to launch two new Centres of Excellence, in Engineering and Construction.

Dorset LEP Chair, Jim Stewart, said: “We are committed to investing in Dorset’s young people. These new Centres of Excellence will not only enable the college to meet identified skill gaps but will also help young people find suitable work in Dorset.

“Investing in training will ensure our county has the workforce ready to meet the needs of the economy. In turn, this will help grow the economy and bring a boost to local businesses.”

Firstly, £605,000 will be invested into the ‘Centre of Excellence for Engineering’. This new facility will improve the college’s advance engineering teaching capabilities, helping to provide a future workforce that can meet the needs of the local economy. It will feature a new digital media suite, allowing students to develop computer-aided-design and modelling skills using the most up-to-date equipment and software. The Centre of Excellence for Engineering is still on course to open this autumn.

This project funding will also unlock investment to improve the college’s Electrical Engineering Centre and purchase new machinery and IT equipment for its Centre of Excellence for Motor Vehicle Technology, opened by Dorset LEP in November 2019.

Higher quality engineering training is not only good news for Weymouth College but also the wider Dorset economy, particularly Weymouth and Portland area, offering more opportunities for local students.

The Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing (AEM) sector has been identified as one of Dorset’s high growth sectors and is worth £800m (gross added value) to the local economy, employing 17,300 people. Unlocking talent to support the AEM sector is a key priority of Dorset’s Local Industrial Strategy.

Secondly, £750,000 will be allocated to the ‘Centre of Excellence for Construction Skills’. The centre of excellence will increase teaching standards and the number of construction students and apprentices.

The project will provide extra capacity by fully re-modelling and upgrading accommodation to support up to 260 full-time and part-time construction students and up to 160 construction apprenticeships per year.

The college will be able to meet new apprenticeship standards and increase specialisms not currently delivered to meet the needs of Dorset’s construction industry. These include painting and decorating, plastering, construction maintenance, plumbing with solar/thermal pathways and an increased emphasis on environmentally sustainable construction.

Weymouth College Principal and Chief Executive, Nigel Evans said: “We are incredibly excited about the opportunities this funding from Dorset LEP will unleash.

“Our new Centres of Excellence will vastly improve our advanced engineering and construction teaching capabilities.

“We have already held meetings with local engineering and construction employers to ensure we invest in the equipment and software that will make our students work-ready.”

This announcement again proves Dorset LEP’s on-going investment in skills for the engineering and construction sectors. Earlier this week Dorset LEP announced a £610,000 investment into the Construction and Engineering Project to improve facilities at Bournemouth and Poole College.

[ENDS]

Notes to editors:               

Dorset LEP

Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership is a business led private and public sector partnership, promoting local economic growth and prosperity. Dorset LEP delivers projects that support and develop infrastructure, housing, skills, enterprise and business growth to achieve long-term economic benefit for all in Dorset. For more information visit the Dorset LEP website http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/

For more information visit the Dorset LEP http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/

Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

Some additional key facts:

• There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England. 
• The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth. 
• LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.