A £10m Advanced Manufacturing Hub in Stafford set to be created by the town’s college will boost Staffordshire’s standing as a centre for learning in a key sector for the area and nationally, the county’s economy leader has said.
The Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) has announced that it has been selected as one of just four Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) in England.
With DfE investment, the college will create its new hub next to its Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology in Castle Street, Stafford.
The development will be situated in the Stafford Gateway project area – where the county council is working with Stafford Borough Council to regenerate land near the railway station for commercial, leisure and residential use.
Next month, Staffordshire’s delegation at the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF ) in Leeds will showcase the county’s major opportunities which include the Central Edge on the South Staffordshire/Wolverhampton border – where i54 and the West Midlands Interchange are located – and the A50/500 east-west growth corridor.
With flagship companies like Jaguar Land Rover and JCB, together with numerous supply chain businesses, Staffordshire is an established lead location for the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector. The college development will help boost local skills to support business workforce needs, which will lead to further expansion, investment and job creation.
Robin Hall, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for economy and skills, said:
It’s fantastic news that Stafford College has been selected as an Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence College – not just for Staffordshire but the region as a whole. This will help strengthen the county’s reputation as a sector leader and offer a wealth of industry-linked learning options to our young people. It’s testament to the hard work and ambition of the NSCG, which we’re proud to have here.
As a county council, we are actively working with our further education partners to help them secure the investment they need to expand capacity, so more young people can access the high-quality skills, training and learning opportunities they need to succeed and prosper in their future careers.”
