Middlesbrough College Group hails ‘UK leading’ new TTE Technical base

A training provider has moved a step closer to opening a £12 million hub it says will make it a leader in UK learning.

Middlesbrough College Group has taken the keys for its new TTE Technical base.

Bosses say the 3000sq metre building, which is expected to train more than a thousand students a year, will transform the organisation into the “biggest provider of engineering training for school-leavers in the country”.

Work is now underway to add teaching apparatus to the two-storey building – which will sit on the organisation’s Middlehaven campus and replace a nearby South Bank site – ahead of September’s new academic year.

Built by Morgan Sindall Construction, officials say it will annually train more than 300 full-time students, 300 apprentices, 500 adults and a cohort of international students across subjects focused on areas including mechanical engineering, electrical, instrumentation, process and renewable energy.

Short courses will include electrical safety, hydraulic systems and leadership and management.

Zoe Lewis, Middlesbrough College Group principal and chief executive, said: “This is a big moment.

“With this new centre and our STEM Centre on campus, we will be able to train young people on ‘real scale’ industrial equipment with industrial specialist staff, which will support the region’s existing and emerging businesses.

“We’re particularly pleased the centre will allow us to expand into sectors such as clean, green and renewable energy, retrofit, zero carbon and offshore high voltage, securing technical skills that are in demand and valued by local employers.”

Alex Isted, Morgan Sindall Construction area director, added: “We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to bring this unique vision to life.

“The training delivered here will help create a skilled workforce for the sectors that will be instrumental in net-zero targets being reached, ensuring the North East is well placed to be at the forefront of vital new developments in green technology.”