Planning application for £2.1m Teesside Skills Academy submitted

Planning permission has been sought for the construction of a new educational facility in Teesside.

The facility will support the work of the Teesworks Skills Academy, launched by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and delivered by several regional colleges and institutes including Darlington College and Teesside University to help local people take advantage of job opportunities being made available at the Teesworks site.

The £2.1m development is being delivered by UK contractor Graham, which recently rolled on to site to also start work on the deep-water heavy-lift South Bank Quay to support ambitions to become the UK’s premier offshore wind hub.

The two-floor, 5,400 sq ft academy will include three classrooms, plus office space and meeting and interview rooms will be used to house the Teesworks Skills Academy team as well as a base for hotdesking for companies looking to come on site, internal training events, information sessions, networking.

The majority of the construction will take place in January ahead of its opening in March 2022. It will be based in the Dorman Point area of Teesworks, with access to the building being unlocked via the Eston Road roundabout being built close by.

To date, the Academy has had around 3,760 enquiries, leading to more than 1,532 people registering with their CVs and almost 500 people undergoing training.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “The redevelopment of the Teesworks site is creating thousands of good-quality well paid jobs and putting Teesside at the heart of the Government’s plans for the UK to be net zero by 2050.

“With so many jobs being created it’s essential that local workers have the skills needed to take advantage of the opportunities and that’s where the Teesworks Academy comes in.”

Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Mary Lanigan said: “This is a vital step to ensure people in our borough are able to access the quality jobs that are being created, and which they deserve. The level of uptake is fantastic.

“People want opportunities but, also, to be provided with the means to actually grasp them - which is exactly what this facility is enabling.”

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