A training provider on the south Humber bank has become the first to be awarded funding as part of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) £1 million investment in Regional Skills Hubs.

The ECITB has awarded CATCH £300,000 to help upgrade its existing welding, pipefitting and electrical training facilities in Stallingborough near Grimsby.

The upgrade is part of a joint venture with industry to increase learning capacity at the training centre by 100% over the next two years, as part of a broader Humber Skills Plan to increase training output by 1000% by 2029.

The ECITB’s £1 million investment in Regional Skills Hubs is designed to boost training provider capacity and grow new entrant numbers in the ‘Industrial Cluster’ hot spots and other major engineering construction industry (ECI) centres of activity which will be at the heart of the UK’s decarbonisation agenda.

ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said: “The ECITB is delighted to support CATCH as it continues to develop a pipeline of trained, skilled workers for major engineering construction projects in the Humber region.

“We know from the Labour Forecasting Tool (LFT), launched in December, that the labour demand gap for new workers in the engineering construction industry will get wider with an estimated shortfall of 40,000 workers by 2028.

“The Regional Skills Hub grant is targeted specifically on capacity-building projects in the UK’s industrial heartlands that will directly increase the flow of workers into the industry.

“The proposal clearly highlighted the project participants’ commitment, externally leveraged funding and clear outputs and delivery milestones.

“Our investment will support the training of more skilled workers to help decarbonisation projects, such as the Viking CCS projects in this area.

“This decarbonisation project has Track 2 status and a diverse range of cluster members.

“CATCH and its stakeholders have ambitious expansion plans to increase the extra skilled workers needed to support the UK’s largest industrial cluster contribute to the country’s net zero goals.”

Two-phase expansion plan

The first phase of CATCH’s expansion plan is a £2 million joint venture between the industry-led training centre, initial investors Phillips 66 Limited, VPI Immingham power station and Harbour Energy, alongside the ECITB’s funding.

A refit to its training centre during summer 2024 will see CATCH’s welding, pipefitting, instrumentation and electrical bays upgraded.

Phase two will see the development of a new £60 million National Net Zero Training Centre by 2029, which will look to deliver 1,000 learners a year.

David Talbot, Chief Executive at CATCH, said: “This £300,000 funding from the ECITB marks a significant milestone for CATCH.

“It secures the transformation of our training facilities in Stallingborough, as we move towards our goal of increasing our learning capacity by 100% this year as part of scaling up the number of new entrants to industry to create the workforce that is required for our region to build net zero infrastructure.

“As we embark on this exciting journey, we are extremely grateful for the support of our industry partners and the ECITB, aligning with our vision to provide a pipeline of skilled workers for the Humber region’s engineering construction projects.”

Paul Fursey, UK Lead Executive and General Manager Humber Refinery at Phillips 66 Limited, said: “It is great to see the support from the ECITB in the development of a leading National Net Zero Training Centre.

“There is a great urgency to increase apprenticeships and skilled resources locally and nationally to support the development of critical UK infrastructure.

“Year after year we are seeing a drop in skilled labour, and it is vital we act now. CATCH is a great example of how industry and public bodies can come together to combat this.”

Grants for decarbonisation projects

The ECITB is keen to work with more clients, contractors and training providers across the six major industrial cluster regions to invest in growing the number of skilled workers needed for other major decarbonisation projects.

The cluster regions are the Black Country, East Coast (comprising Teesside and Humber), north-west England, Scotland, South Wales and the Solent.

Funding of between £50,000 and £500,000 will be awarded to eligible projects that meet set criteria, including the need to match ECITB grant funding with investment from industry partners.

To find out more initial contact should be made to Andy Brown, Chief Operating Officer: andy.brown@ecitb.org.uk or David Nash, Director of Strategy and Policy: david.nash@ecitb.org.uk

Read more about the criteria and what grants can be used for at https://www.ecitb.org.uk/blog/2023/11/23/ecitb-announces-1m-investment-in-regional-skills-hubs/

The CATCH Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Network was officially launched almost a year ago with guest chairs taking on the stewardship, now under the leadership of its Chair, Nina Stobart of Phillips 66, member companies have endorsed the newly established EDIB Charter and its accompanying guidelines, demonstrating their collective commitment to shaping an industry that is resilient, adaptive, and inclusive. With the sector currently facing a notable skills shortage and with a surge of job opportunities expected from upcoming large-scale engineering and construction projects, ensuring a diverse talent pool and equal opportunity has never been more crucial.

The group boasts a membership of highly skilled industry professionals and therefore has established four specialised sub-committees: Policy, Recruitment and Outreach, Allyship, and Training and Development to tackle some of the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Chairperson Nina Stobart, External Communications & Public Affairs Lead, Phillips 66 said, “Promoting and delivering EDI&B in the workplace is an essential aspect of good people management. It’s about creating working environments and cultures where every individual can feel safe and a sense of belonging and is empowered to achieve their full potential. Our new Charter is a commitment that we are on that journey to help our business and the region reach our Vision which is

… to be part of a progressive and equitable region where businesses support a fully inclusive and diverse workforce in an environment where they feel seen, heard, supported, and valued.

 To do this we all need to play our part by embracing difference, valuing everyone’s contribution, treating people with dignity and respect and increasing our understanding by hearing lived experience of others. Only by doing this can we take the appropriate positive steps forward to ensure we can meet the needs of everyone. We know this really does matter. It matters for everyone, and it must be a priority, not just in words but in action”

Lisa Buck, CATCH’s Head of Stakeholder Engagement, shared, “The inception of this network was inspired by discussions within the CATCH HR leaders forum. Regional businesses expressed a feeling that, despite commendable efforts already underway, there was vast potential for more impact if we all worked together. Our sessions have been lively and uplifting, with influential people eager to collaborate in enhancing the industry as a more inclusive workspace.”

Companies that have signed up to the Charter include – Philips 66, Yara International, Tronox, Humber Bank Instruments, OLG, Lenzing, Solenis, and Gassco.

For further details about joining the CATCH EDIB Network and signing up to the EDIB Charter, please reach out to Lisa – lisa.buck@catchuk.org

COLLEGES across Greater Lincolnshire have joined forces to tackle the widening skills gap after securing millions of pounds of government funding.

TEC Partnership, as lead partner for the Greater Lincolnshire LSIF Partnership, has been allocated a total of over £3.5m by the Department of Education. The move is part of a drive to help people launch careers in key industries, upskill the workforce through innovative projects and boost economic growth across the region.

The funds will support delivery of activities aligned with the Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland Local Skills Improvement Plan, published in August 2023, which identified a host of unfilled opportunities in sectors such as green energy and the digital industry that are carrying thousands of vacancies for skilled staff.

The projects cover Decarbonisation and Green Skills, focusing on Engineering and Low Carbon Technologies, Green Energy and Building Services Engineering; Digitisation and Smarter Working, covering Augmented & Virtual Reality, Cyber Security/Automation/Artificial Intelligence and Digital Production, Design and Development.

There will also be support for a range of projects addressing fundamental issues employers face around employability, working towards the development of a cross-region skills passport to improve work readiness and essential skills, embedding this alongside vocational learning.

The projects will be delivered by a collaborative partnership of Greater Lincolnshire Further Education Providers between September 2023 and March 2025, including:

• TEC Partnership, lead partner (Grimsby Institute Campus)
• Bishop Burton College (Riseholme Campus)
• Boston College
• CATCH
• DN Colleges Group
• Franklin 6th Form College
• Grantham College
• Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA)
• Inspire Education Group – Stamford College
• John Leggott College
• Lincoln College

Chief Executive Officer of the TEC Partnership, Ann Hardy, said., “We’re delighted to be working with business partners and education colleagues across our region to deliver much-needed, targeted investment to fill current and future skills gaps. This funding will help us provide increased skilled employment opportunities for our communities and help local businesses to remain competitive and grow in their respective sectors.”

James McIntosh, CCO, CATCH, added, “CATCH welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to enable colleges and training providers in the region to respond to collectively to meet the skills requirements in the clean growth era. As we approach 2030 and beyond programmes such as LSIF, are essential to help to overcome local skills gaps and provide local people with opportunities to gain education and skills to provide pathways to careers specific to Net Zero industries. We are looking forward to working with TEC Partnership and fellow grant partners to enhance our current capabilities across our apprenticeship provision, ensuring students learn in a live environment leveraging cutting-edge low-carbon technologies that industry will adopt in the near future, with a particular focus on Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage”.

Bill Meredith, Principal and Chief Executive Bishop Burton College and Riseholme College said: “Riseholme College (a campus of Bishop Burton College) is delighted to be a partner in the Lincs LSIF and we are excited to be able to further develop our teaching expertise and student experience in augmented and virtual reality with the addition of a VR suite to our Riseholme campus. It is clear that the future workforce will need a very different set of skills from those of the past; all sectors will be looking to recruit employees with the necessary technical skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of the current industrial revolution and as a result of this collaboration we will be able to harness exciting developments such as the use of virtual reality to simulate real working environments.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the investment was aimed at boosting local industry, building people’s skills and ultimately futureproofing the economy and the career prospects of the next generation.

She said: “Our local skills projects will bring together regional organisations, businesses and education providers to respond to the specific needs of employers, building an increasingly skilled workforce. Thousands more people can now gain the skills they need to secure good jobs closer to home.”

CATCH was delighted to welcome Jonathan Oxley, representing the CBI, to guest chair our final CATCH Hydrogen Network event of 2023, extending a warm welcome to both our online and in-person delegates.

The session kicked off with introductions to Iain Weir from Optimat and Matthew Buckley from Wood. Together, they delivered an insightful presentation highlighting the outcomes of their collaborative study, “Supply Chains to Support a Hydrogen Economy.” Optimat, a strategic consultancy based in Scotland, shared their role as project managers for the Scottish net-zero roadmap initiative, while Wood, a global leader in consulting and engineering, showcased their extensive expertise.

Jonathan introduced Frederic Sene from Air Products, highlighting the company’s six-decade presence in the UK and their substantial 2 billion investments in European hydrogen projects. Frederic then explained the Immingham Green Hydrogen Production project, powered by renewable sources like solar and wind. This facility aims to contribute 3% to the UK Government’s 2030 hydrogen target, creating 1400 local jobs. It will cover the generation, production, processing, shipping through partner ABP, distribution, and utilisation.

Following a brief networking break over coffee, Mayowa Akinrinlola, CCUS Process Engineer from Humber Zero VPI Immingham Carbon Capture Project, provided an update on the VPI and Humber Zero initiatives. He explained the integrated nature of the Humber Zero project, aiming to decarbonise the Immingham industrial complex by combining VPI’s heat and power plant and Philipps 66 refinery. Mayowa outlined plans for retrofitting an existing large-scale plant to capture 3.2 million tons of CO2 annually, highlighting key milestones, including pre-feed completion, FEED verification, and positive developments in project financing. The timeline targets the commencement of work in 2025 and CO2 storage by 2028, with over 80 subcontractors engaged in supply chain enquiries.

Concluding the event, Jonathan introduced Danny Cowe from the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre (IDRIC), who provided an update on the Humber network. Danny emphasized IDRIC’s role within the IDC, its collaborative research projects, and flexible funding options. He also highlighted the organisation’s focus on skills, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), and the upcoming early career research academy workshop. Danny encouraged attendees to explore IDRIC’s website for valuable resources and mentioned two upcoming events: the IDRIC conference in Manchester in March and the IDRIC Humber cluster webinar on January 31st, featuring insights from local academic cluster leads.

We extend our gratitude to all our esteemed speakers and participants for contributing to this informative and engaging event, and we look forward to further networking in 2024, with our new combined Hydrogen and Decarbonisation Network.

The Welding & Pipefitting Hub is an employer-led project to ensure that our region has the right level of skills to meet the demand not only of existing projects in the process industry sector but also to enable the UK to deliver the mega-scale engineering construction projects that industrial decarbonisation of our industry requires.

The hub has 4 main capabilities:

• Schools Engagement & STEM based activities
• Level 3 Apprenticeship training
• Upskilling existing employees in industry
• Training programmes to retrain new entrants to industry

EFAB has recruited 4 apprentices as part of the first welding & pipefitting cohort as part of their commitment to growing their team and creating career pathways for young people in industry.

CATCH Chief Operating Officer, James McIntosh, said “We were delighted when EFAB decided to sponsor the Welding & Pipefitting Hub. It is fantastic to see such commitment from industry to help us provide the best possible learning experience for welding & pipefitting apprentices in the region, which was made possible through their investment. Our industry faces a huge challenge to meet net zero and it will require employers and providers working in partnership to ensure we have the right level and number of skilled people to meet demands. I would like to thank Simon and the team at EFAB for their continued support of CATCH.”

Simon Rafferty, EFAB Industrial Solution’s Chief Executive Officer said: “CATCH is a key strategic partner of EFAB Industrial Solutions, and the work that they do with their clients, members, and learners is pivotal in ensuring the future of Engineering Construction in the UK, and in the Humber region’s preparedness to lead the drive for decarbonisation and renewable energy.

“When we learned about CATCH’s new Welding & Pipefitting Hub, we knew that their team’s, passion, commitment, and expertise would make this a valuable asset to the local industry and economy, attracting and training the skilled tradespeople of tomorrow – that’s why we had to get involved – not only as a client, and a partner, but also by making a financial commitment to this groundbreaking facility.”