The borough’s engineering hopefuls look set to receive a huge boosts to their futures as plans for an £11m Havering College construction centre have been unveiled.
As part of a drive to have the college cement itself as a centre of excellence for construction and engineering, its Rainham campus in New Road is the proposed home of a new Construction, Infrastructure Skills and Innovation Centre (CISIC).
If all goes according to plan, Havering Council will green light the proposals – which are joint funded by the Greater London Authority and the college itself.
It is estimated the new centre will contribute more than £30m to Rainham’s local economy over the next ten years.
Maria Thompson, Havering College chief executive, said: “Working in partnership with the local council and residents, we want to build a better future for Rainham.
“This jobs pledge for our students will put our local community on the map.
“We are so excited for the facility to open and look forward to supporting Rainham’s students into their future careers in skilled construction and engineering.”
Alongside innovative plans for the new centre, the college has also been awarded career college status for construction and engineering.
First created by the government in 2013, career colleges specialise in equipping 14-19-year-olds with the skills they will need to succeed in a particular industry, and employers help shape the curriculum to ensure students move straight from their course into employment.
Partners for Havering College’s careers include some of east London’s biggest employers such as L&Q, Clarion Housing Group and both Havering and Barking and Dagenham councils.
Lord Kenneth Baker, former education secretary trustee and founder of the Career College Trust, said: “We have huge support from industry and employers - as a result students are being equipped with relevant, real world skills, which is of benefit to both them and to UK industry as a whole.
“I am delighted to see our Career College network growing. I look forward to seeing further growth and success over the coming years.”
The plans for the new centre are due to go before Havering Council’s regulatory services committee on Thursday night.
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