TRAINING
Middlesbrough College’s
leading role in North East
Institute of Technology
Tech talk - Middlesbrough College
principal and chief executive Zoe Lewis.
Tech
this out
Ambitious students on Teesside
now have the chance to study
at the North East Institute of
Technology – one of only a
handful of such centres in the country.
Middlesbrough College is among a
North-East consortium granted a licence
by the Department for Education to launch
the institute, which will open doors to highskilled,
high-wage careers for thousands of
learners across the region.
A new purpose-built Higher Education
Centre is being added to the college’s
industry-leading STEM Centre as part of
the move. The new facilities will focus on
specific higher technical skills required
to provide employers with the skilled
workforce they need.
The Institute of Technology consortium,
headed by New College Durham, also
includes Nissan, Esh Group and Newcastle
University.
Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive
of Middlesbrough College, explained:
“The Institute of Technology is all
about delivering higher level technical
qualifications that will lead to high quality
jobs.
“We’re already working closely with
hundreds of employers in the area,
tailoring our learning to meet their
needs and make sure students have
clear, achievable pathways to technical
employment.
“With our well established STEM training,
the apprenticeship work of Northern Skills
Group and the internationally renowned
courses on offer through TTE, we have a
wealth of knowledge and expertise in this
area. This announcement is yet another
example.”
Middlesbrough College’s role will be to
provide a range of high-quality specialist
courses to build skills for the construction,
manufacturing and the digital sectors.
Those courses are built around the
detailed needs of top employers such as
Jacobs, Wood and British Steel, to name
just a few. Constant collaboration between
the college and these companies means
students are workplace-ready and at the
front of the queue for high-quality jobs.
The institute also builds on the college’s
pioneering work with the Open University
and Pearson UK, which has provided more
accessible, affordable and flexible higher
education in the Tees Valley.
This year the college has been the
first in the area to trial T Levels – new
employment-focused qualifications
for school leavers that mix classroom
and on-the-job learning. Students have
already been studying towards T Levels in
computing, engineering, health and social
care, construction and business, and they
will finish with workplace-ready skills and a
qualification equivalent to three A Levels.
T Level programmes include work
placements of at least 45 days –
meaning learners get essential hands-on
experience, build contacts and develop
wider workplace skills that help them stand
out in the jobs market.
Students who’ve studied the twoyear
qualifications will also be able to
progress on to higher and degree level
apprenticeships, or technical degrees.
Zoe Lewis added: “We’re excited that as
a technical training leader, Middlesbrough
College will play such an important role in
the North East Institute of Technology.
“Middlesbrough College is also the only
general further education college in the
Tees Valley to secure gold status in the
Teaching Excellence Standard Framework
Awards – a prestigious assessment that
puts it in the top 20 per cent of higher
education providers in the country.
“This is an opportunity for us to deliver
even more industry-focused skills training
that meets the needs of employers and
provides students with routes into highquality
careers in the region and beyond.”
For more information about Middlesbrough College go to mbro.ac.uk/ or call 01642 333333.
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