NCG joins the Northern Powerhouse Partner Programme

Newcastle College Group (NCG) has joined the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Partner Programme to support regional growth with skills and training.

Comprising FE providers from Newcastle and Carlisle to Lewisham and Southwark, NCG is the largest college group in England and will join a network of organisations aiming to build a more prosperous North.

The Northern Powerhouse partnership comes as the first cohort of Newcastle College students start a new offshore renewables and subsea engineering course in collaboration with UK offshore energy support base, the Port of Blyth.

34 students are currently enrolled on the two-year course, which covers engineering product design and manufacturing, electrical power distribution and computer-aided design.

The course aims to provide a route into careers in the energy sector.

NCG’s chief executive, Liz Bromley, said that the new engineering course demonstrated how education providers can respond to the needs of local economies and communities.

She also discussed the importance of the Northern Powerhouse partnership and said that NCG is ‘uniquely placed’ to support the growth of regional economies by applying nationally leading skills and expertise at a local level.

Lis commented: “We’re really excited to become a Northern Powerhouse partner organisation.

“Our purpose is to unlock potential through learning. We do this by understanding what employers need and bridging the gap between education and business.

“We’ll bring this knowledge to the Northern Powerhouse table, and work with our fellow partners to make sure we’re creating the right skills that can stimulate economic growth.

“Realising the potential of the North through investment in skills is a huge opportunity – and NCG will lead the way.”

The minister for the Northern Powerhouse, Jake Berry MP, added: “The North deservedly has a reputation for high-quality further education institutions so it’s great to see NCG become the latest member of our expanding network of over 300 partners.

“They have an impressive footprint across the Northern Powerhouse with headquarters in Newcastle and colleges in Carlisle and West Lancashire so are in an enviable position to provide people with the skills and training they need to get good, well-paid jobs as we prepare to take advantage of the global opportunities available when we get Brexit done and take our country forward.”