FUTURE SKILLS
The Tees Valley has been one of the most deprived areas in the country . We need to change that and the best way to do it is through education .”
He says : “ Getting Grant in was an achievement and it ’ s great to see how he has picked up the baton from Phil Cook and has continued to take us forward . I am really pleased and excited about the future .”
With big plans in the pipeline both for the Etc . and across the Tees Valley , there ’ s much to look forward to .
Stuart adds : “ With investment coming into the area from the likes of Teesworks , the freeport and the Treasury in Darlington , it feels like we are on the cusp of something really special that could be transformative for the area .”
Recent visits to the group ’ s campuses from the Chancellor , Jeremy Hunt , and Secretary of State for Levelling Up , Housing and Communities , Michael Gove , as well as industry leaders , employers and local MPs , is further testament to the part the college group has to play .
“ In education , we are at the heart of our community ,” says Stuart . “ The Tees Valley has been one of the most deprived areas in the country . We need to change that and the best way to do it is through education .”
As a dad of two young boys himself , he has even more reason to be passionate about the opportunities ahead , but he is also quick to
Bridging the skills gap – Stuart Blackett on Stockton ’ s Infinity Bridge .
point out that colleges are about more than your 16-to-18-year-old cohort . Colleges are changing the lives of adults too .
The key to continuing to get that right is a complex mix . He explains it involves looking to the future , not just the next two or three years , but what does 2040 look like ? The college group must also be agile and adapt , while simultaneously continuing to deliver in the here and now .
“ As Dot says , ‘ it is standards , standards , standards ’,” he says . “ We have a duty to ensure our colleges are the best they possibly can be for our learners . We have to do the day job .”
At the Etc . that has included a recent £ 11.7m capital investment in facilities , made possible with funding from the Department for Education ’ s T Level Capital Funding Grant , DfE Post-16 Capacity Fund and the Redcar Town Deal Fund .
Completed works include revamped facilities at Redcar and Cleveland College , the creation of its £ 3.2m Clean Energy Education Hub and a £ 2.4m annex , making room for an additional 200 students at Bede . Work is now underway on a £ 2.8m refurb at Stockton Riverside College and there are also ambitious plans for NETA .
“ There ’ s been a lot going on ,” says Stuart with a smile . It clearly hasn ’ t put him off .
Not a fan of hierarchy , however , he gives all the credit to others .
He said : “ This isn ’ t my day job , I already have a career . It sounds cliché but , for me , this is my way of giving something back .
“ The truth is , I get a lot back out of being in that chair . It doesn ’ t feel like work to me , this is something I look forward to , this is the fun bit . When you add in the fact that we are making a real difference here , there seems little that can be more worthy .”
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