Northumberland College to forge closer business ties after investing £14m in STEM facilities

Northumberland College has invested millions in its STEM provision and revealed plans to work more closely with North East businesses.

The college has redefined its offering and invested more than £14m in industry-focused facilities – but says there is more investment to come.

Recent improvements include £2.5m spent on a purpose-built STEM centre at its Ashington campus and investment in energy sector training at its Blyth facility.

Northumberland College is now seeking closer commercial links with the region’s businesses, which could see firms endorsing, sponsoring or part-delivering certain vocational diplomas

The head of the college’s STEM Academy, Gordon Crombie, said: “We’re now teaching and delivering courses in very different ways to place our students at the heart of industry and integrate the skills that employers are searching for into many of our learning programmes.

“By linking the curriculum to the local business landscape, we can work very much in sync with regional employers, often in diverse, traditional or rural industries, to identify the skills they require both now and in the future, as well as deliver what young people say they need.”

He continued: “Engagement on all levels is crucial. Having implemented a new approach to learning, we’d like to tell local organisations that we’re very much interested in creating new partnerships and are looking for partner companies to explore new opportunities.

“There are many successful businesses on our doorstep that could benefit from a collaborative approach to skills development, therefore if the College can become a facilitator and bring employers closer to education, we can arm students with the right industry tools to maximise their employability and skills levels.”