North East partnership aims to build future skills

A new collaboration is set to unlock career pathways and skills to support the North East's built environment and economy.

Education Partnership North East (EPNE) and Northumbria University have announced a partnership centred on the Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA) in Riverside Sunderland.

Bosses say the new £20 million “state-of-the-art facility”, located in a former goods shed, will “widen opportunities” and “deliver for industry” by providing a skills gateway designed to attract people into pursuing careers in the housing and construction sectors.

The partnership, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed by Ellen Thinnesen, EPNE chief executive, and Professor Andy Long, vice-chancellor of Northumbria University, aims to create a cohesive approach to education and skills, joining up further and higher education systems and aligning with the priorities of the North East Combined Authority, Skills England and the Government's Missions and Industrial Strategy.

Ellen said: “We are thrilled to have agreed a partnership with Northumbria University that will ensure every person who studies with us at EPNE has access to a seamless ladder of opportunity to higher level study and employment.

“This partnership will be particularly visible at HICSA, where there is such strong synergy between the outstanding technical study routes we offer and the excellent under and post-graduate opportunities that Northumbria University offers.”

Professor Long added: “HICSA is a magnificent facility, and a brilliant place for EPNE and Northumbria University to launch a high-profile and productive new partnership that will support hundreds of young people to realise their potential, as well as delivering for industry and for the region’s economy.

“I am delighted this will be one of a number of new collaborative projects we will be working on with EPNE, a partnership I am certain will go from strength-to-strength in the months and years ahead.”

A key aspect of the partnership will be HICSA, which will focus on housebuilding, green construction techniques and modern methods of construction, including home retrofit.

The site, set to open in 2025, will feature immersive technology, business information modelling suites and technical workshops.

Northumbria University will supply on-site graduate researchers and expertise, while EPNE will lead efforts to provide exceptional teaching and facilities, ensuring students have visible routes to higher qualifications and careers in construction.

HICSA will cater for students from age 14 through to adulthood, offering training pathways designed to attract under-represented groups into the housing and construction sectors. 

Partners including Sunderland College, Gentoo Housing, Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust and Sunderland City Council are supporting the initiative, providing students with real-world learning opportunities, such as site visits and work experience.

Students will also be offered the opportunity to study a specialised construction qualification alongside GCSEs.

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