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.”

Leading provider of high-quality plant equipment, SES has recently completed a six-figure deal to supply world-renowned training facility CATCH with a full suite of welding equipment ahead of the launch of their Welding and Pipefitting Hub, which opens this week.

The new facility is designed to host 28 students, with courses in Pipefitting, Plate Welding and Pipe Welding. As the sole contractor working with CATCH, SES has provided Lincoln Electric welding equipment as well as new cutting machinery, tools and equipment for apprentices and staff for a 3 year period.

The specialist equipment rental company, with bases in Aberdeen and Grimsby, offer more than 1,000 different types of equipment and an asset register comprising more than 30,000 individual items. Their hire fleet offers a full spectrum of specialist tools for every discipline involved in offshore oil and gas maintenance, renewables, petrochemicals, manufacturing, modifications, hook-up and decommissioning.

Andrew Lait, SES Business Development manager, said: “We are really proud to be working with CATCH on the launch of the new Welding and Pipefitting Hub. We opened our Grimsby base in March last year, and the work that we have done with CATCH has been incredible.

“It’s great to play a part in the development of future operations and engineering maintenance workforces. There’s a real gap in the market, and we can’t wait to see the hub evolve over time.”

Earlier this year, SES held an open day at the CATCH training facility in Grimsby, where 5 organisations showcased their service offering. Throughout the day, over 150 business people, students and apprentices came together to network, share their experiences and discuss future projects within the area.

Andrew continues, “At SES, our key focus is sustainability. We opened our base in Grimsby following a consistent level of business wins so that we could service our customers in a timely and cost-effective way. Having a base in the Humberside area allows for our customers to buy locally whilst cutting down on carbon emissions through moving equipment.

CATCH is an industry-led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Humber, offering industry authentic training and assessment without the risks associated with processing hazardous materials. The £12 million training facility is actively involved in developing and delivering skills and qualifications programmes both regionally and nationally.

Joel Broddle, Head of Welding and Pipefitting, said: “We are thrilled to be opening of The Welding and Pipefitting Hub at our Humber site on September 18. Over a number of months, we have been working to acquire the latest equipment to provide our apprentices with top-quality learning resources. We would like to thank SES and Andy Lait for their invaluable support and guidance in ensuring the timely completion of our orders.

“We are looking forward to developing the relationship with SES and Worley over the next 12 months and we are confident that their collaboration will play a vital role in training the next generation of skilled welders, pipefitters, and fabricators. Together, we aim to make a positive impact on the industry and nurture a bright future for aspiring crafts people.”

CATCH has been selected as a finalist for the ECI Training & Development awards, in the category of “Training Provider of the Year”.

The award is to recognise an exceptional training provider with a proven track record in delivering high quality training & assessment and creating a positive impact with learners, employers and clients. The awards will take place on Thursday 2^nd November at The Cutty Sark in London.

The Approved Training Provider category is full of strong competition, with fellow finalists GSS Training and Forth Valley College both in the running for the award.

It is the 2^nd time in 4 years that CATCH has been selected as a finalist, having won the award in 2019, only 2 years after the CATCH Skills training brand was formed. Since becoming an ECITB training provider, CATCH has awarded ECITB qualifications to over 7000 learners across various training programmes. The CATCH footprint has grown exponentially in the past 12 months which has led to us delivering courses across the UK on clients’ sites including Scotland, Isle of Man, Teeside, West Yorkshire, Wales and the South East of England.

In addition, the launch of our apprenticeship programmes across Electrical, Instrumentation, Mechanical, Process Operations, Welding & Pipefitting, some of which are for ECITB clients and supply chain contractor employers, has seen us take steps to help bridge the skills gap in the region and meet the demand of net zero transition. Our apprenticeship programme features a range of added value courses, some of which are accredited by ECITB, to enhance the learners skills set and experience before they join site in their second year of training.

CATCH Chief Operating Officer, James McIntosh said “We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for the ECITB Training & Development Awards. To make the final 3 providers is great recognition for the hard work and effort of our fantastic team of people at CATCH. I am sure the event will be an enjoyable evening and showcase the many success stories that we have in our industry ”.

Find out more about the ECI Training and Development awards here.

As part of the government’s strategy and commitment to clean growth and net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the £66 million Transforming Foundation Industries (TFI) Challenge brings together the metals, glass, paper, ceramics, cement and bulk chemical industries to address environmental impact and global competitiveness.

A comprehensive study carried out by the Enterprise Resource Centre (ERC), commissioned by TFI, has highlighted the scarcity of diversity within boardrooms as a barrier to fostering innovation. This study has proposed a key solution: a call for increased diversity within senior positions across the Foundation Industries.

As part of TFI’s commitment to the future prosperity of the Foundation Industries, we are offering 20 fully funded places as part of a 12-month pilot Leadership programme, with additional coaching, starting in Autumn 2023. We are looking to recruit enthusiastic individuals from across the Foundation Industries who have a vocational background (e.g. through an apprenticeship programme or entering work directly from school or college) and welcome applicants from varied age groups, ethnic minorities, and genders and sexes.

Download further details and the self-nomination form here

IDRIC (the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre) is pleased to announce funding through The University of Lincoln as part of its secondment programme. The funding will mean that Katie Hedges of  CATCH will be seconded to the University under IDRIC’s secondment programme until mid-February 2024 for 1 day per week.

Katie was instrumental in taking the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan from bid concept to delivery.  Her depth of knowledge about the UK’s largest industrial cluster is unique and CATCH is committed to working with key regional partners to ensure their members and stakeholders see a strong legacy built for the region from the Cluster Plan.

Katie will work closely with Professor Joe Howe, the IDRIC Academic Cluster Lead for the Humber who was has also recently been appointed.

David Talbot, CATCH CEO said ‘This secondment is a great opportunity for our universities to come together with local public and private sector stakeholders to drive forward cluster plan next steps’

Professor Joe Howe said ‘This secondment will ensure acceleration of the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan actions for research and innovation priorities and build stronger connections between the Humber industrial cluster and the over 30 Academic Institutions  that are part of IDRIC’s UK research programme. It will also build opportunities for additional strategic secondment opportunities in the area.’

Katie Hedges added ‘Through this exciting secondment opportunity we can ensure rapid knowledge exchange can progress the suite of recommendations and actions critical to meeting deep decarbonisation targets by 2030 and net zero by 2040 for the largest industrial cluster in the UK.’

The Humber’s cluster plan was published in March 2023.  The outputs include key reports including market, policy, regulation & social studies, each with a strong set of recommendations for action – https://www.humberindustrialclusterplan.org/output-reports.html

More information on the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre can be found here: http://www.idric.org