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£7 million Grimsby logistics institute set to plug Humber skills gap

The £7 million Grimsby Institute’s Logistics Training Centre is set to plug the skills gap in the Humber region.

Grimsby Institute is creating a Logistics Training Centre through a £7 million Growth Deal Project, £2 million of which has been raised through a grant from the Humber LEP, with the other £5 million being self-raised finance.

Work on the building the Logistics Hub is due to commence next summer and it is hoped the new facilities will be fully operational by September 2016.

The Institute’s Vice Principal of Strategic Projects, Sam Whitaker, said the UK Energy Estuary is a massive area and there are going to be real problems in meeting the demand for skilled jobs in the near future.

In a message to the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Mr Whitaker said that there will be enough jobs to employ everyone in the Humber region as the Estuary continues grow in importance.

By 2020 it is expected that the number of degree level qualified jobs in the area will increase significantly and there is a need to raise employer commitment and investment in skills.

Mr Whitaker said the offshore opportunities would be significant and the five major colleges in the Humber, Hull University and other training providers, are all working to meet that need.

The new centre must reflect industry demand, he told the meeting, and focus on the ports and energy sector, logistics and an ambition to be part of a global centre of excellence, moving training away from Tyneside.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .