National College for High Speed Rail officially opens in Doncaster

The National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster has been officially launched by Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for Education.

The new employer-led college is the largest of five new national colleges created by Government to ensure British workers can learn world-class skills.

The development has been supported by Doncaster Council, which helped secure funding for the scheme as well as being involved with the design and construction of the college.

With a second campus in Birmingham, the new college will train 150 learners across both sites during the 2017-18 academic year. At full capacity the college will train 1,200 learners a year.

The National College for High Speed Rail is focused on solving the skills gap in Britain within the engineering, design, planning, manufacturing and construction sectors. This comes as billions of pounds is set to be invested in modernising Britain’s rail network and wider transport infrastructure.

Over the next five years it is estimated that businesses in Britain will need 182,000 new engineers every year. Right now, it is falling short by 69,000 engineers a year.

The rail industry in faces even further skills shortages, with one in five rail engineers currently aged over-55. With Britain’s move into high speed rail and HS2 set to create 25,000 new jobs including 2,000 apprenticeships; careers in this industry are set to become more sought after.

The campus on Carolina Way in Doncaster has been equipped with cutting edge technology, including virtual reality training on board a Eurostar power car, an augmented reality classroom, and a dedicated BIM (building information modelling) cave.

The college will help generate the workforce of the future, who will design and build the UK’s new high-speed rail network and future infrastructure projects. It has recently created the UK’s first Certificate of Higher Education (CHE) in High Speed Rail and Infrastructure.

Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening said: “It has been great to attend the official launch of the NCHSR. It’s part of how we are steadily transforming technical education in this country, training up a new generation of skilled young people and the existing workforce so that British business has the skills it needs and people have the opportunities they want – a win-win for everyone.

“We can only do this in partnership with employers – the NCHSR is just one great example of this. The impressive new building and training facilities are at the forefront of our ambitions to create a world class system of technical education.

“Doncaster is also one of the 12 Opportunity Areas that will benefit from a share of £72 million to raise attainment and aspirations. NCHSR is part of this work, making sure Doncaster’s local talent gets the opportunity to fulfil its potential and ensuring a prosperous future for the UK.”

Clair Mowbray, chief executive for the National College for High Speed Rail, added: “This is a momentous day at the National College for High Speed Rail, as we officially launch and welcome our first learners and apprentices into Doncaster.

“However, the work has only just begun; we want to make sure that we have a UK workforce that has the skills to not only deliver HS2 and other major infrastructure projects, but also become the pioneers of the UK’s new high speed rail industry.

“We are proud of having created a world-class rail skills centre in Doncaster and being a gateway for a hugely exciting and rewarding career building Europe’s largest infrastructure project. This town helped build the pioneering railways of Britain’s past and with your help we can now become a hub for building the pioneering railways of Britain’s future.”

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling also commented: “The college will play a vital role in training the thousands of skilled engineers needed to build HS2 and other projects right across the country.

“HS2 is crucial to ensure the Government delivers on its promise to spread wealth beyond London and the south-east. Up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships will be created by Britain’s new railway. Another 3,000 people will operate HS2 and it is estimated that growth around new HS2 stations will create another 100,000 jobs.

“But as well as creating skilled jobs, apprenticeships and business opportunities, it will also mean real day-to-day improvements for people across the country by providing more seats and more trains for passengers across the north and the midlands.”

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