L-R Mike Emery, Georgia Owens, Sam Scott, Paddy Oakes.

Thousands of Teesside jobs could be created by HS2 project

Teesside workers could be set to benefit from thousands of construction and engineering jobs created by the HS2 rail project.

Following government approval of the rail project, the Construction Industry Training Board has said thousands of new jobs will be created in the next two years.

Middlesbrough College has invested in construction and engineering skills training in order to allow locals to take advantage of the opportunities presented by HS2. In addition to its £20m STEM training centre, the college has introduced courses in subjects such as civil engineering, electrical engineering and construction management.

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College Group – which encompasses Middlesbrough College, Northern Skills Group and TTE Technical UK, commented: “We’re investing in the training facilities and course provision to make sure we’re offering a solution to the challenges the construction industry faces.

“We’re also building the skills needed to fulfil some of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects like HS2.

“We want people to know they can access industry-leading training here on Teesside – and we’ll continue to build on that reputation, providing skills and opportunities to benefit learners, workers and employees.”

Mike Emery, associate director of construction at Middlesbrough College, added: “We’re committed to helping construction and engineering employers access the high quality skills their workforce needs – and HS2 is a huge opportunity for Teesside which will be supported by Middlesbrough College

“With industry leading facilities and expert tutors, many from industry backgrounds, we’re attracting ambitious learners from all over the North East and are seeing huge growth in student recruitment across our construction and engineering projects.”

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