Lowestoft College’s newly refurbished Engineering workshop and wind turbine training tower was officially opened by Waveney MP Peter Aldous on Friday 10 February.
The new engineering workshop features state-of-the-art equipment which makes the college one of the leading engineering training centres for the region. The improvements were made possible thanks to a funding boost of £1.3million from University Campus Suffolk, the Local Strategic Partnership, the Skills Funding Agency and the College’s own resources. The investment also meant improvements could be made to the Learning Resources Centre and Canteen.
The ‘wind turbine’ was constructed thanks to a partnership between the College and the National Wind Farm Training Centre (NWTFC). The tower, measuring 18 metres, is used to train workers in the wind farm industry and will include a wind turbine transfer ladder and helicopter hoist. In time, it will also include its own hub and blade.
“We are delighted to partner with Lowestoft College on this project,” commented Colin Urquhart Managing Director, NWFTC . “As the wind farm industry develops there is a growing need for relevant training.
This partnership will help fulfill the skills gap in the market”.
Employers in both the engineering and energy sectors have been invited to the event, along with local dignitaries and representatives from schools and colleges.
Principal Simon Summers said: “The new engineering workshop is particularly exciting and means our students and apprentices are able to benefit from up-to-date equipment which meets the industry standards. Our new tower means that, together with the NWTFC, we are able to offer a one-stop training centre for the offshore sector and can continue to provide the training needed for the fast growing Energy industry.”
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Offshore WIND staff, February 15, 2012; Image: prsavvy