College celebrates sustainable skills in National Apprenticeships Week

East Riding College has been celebrating apprenticeships week alongside local employers. 

Employers were invited to visit Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology at its Beverley campus, which has brought investment of over £2 million of capital funding.  Staff, students and apprentices were on hand to showcase the specialist training facilities for high-level engineering and technical disciplines.  The Institute aims to boost employment opportunities and improve the number of suitably qualified candidates in the technical and professional jobs market.  With exciting developments such as the Humber Freeport and the Energy Estuary qualified engineers and technicians are in demand in the region.

As part of National Apprenticeships Week the College also launched its new faculty of advanced automotive technologies which is investing in green technologies and developing curriculum to meet the growing need for electric vehicle technicians and electricians who can install EV charging points.

To aid in the delivery of EV courses, the College has invested in two of the latest EV models, the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Toyota C-HR Hybrid, following a successful bid to the Skills Accelerator Development Fund.

Alex Sheldon, Head of Curriculum for Construction and Engineering said, “Our curriculum is always designed to meet the specific needs of local employers.  Because of the fast-paced changes in the automotive industry, and the Government targets to transition to zero-emissions motoring by 2035, the electric motoring curriculum is evolving in exciting ways to meet the needs of industry.  Our learners will be ready for the future.”

Mike Welsh, Principal at East Riding College said, “The theme of National Apprenticeships Week this year is how apprenticeships ‘build the future’: how they can help individuals to develop their skills and career, and how they can help businesses to develop a talented workforce in possession of future-ready skills.  I know apprenticeships can kick-start rewarding careers and have benefited employers immensely, creating a ‘home-grown’ workforce that provides incredible return on investment by upskilling existing employees, filling skills gaps and helping to future-proof their business.”

The event was supported by apprenticeship employers including AB Graphic International who have a number of apprentice engineers who study at the IoT.  Darren Bowness, quality control, manufacturing and engineering manager at AB Graphic International said, “The skills they are learning will stay with them for the rest of their careers. Here they can learn core skills they will need in the workplace.”