A consortium of colleges in the region, which includes Selby College, is delighted to have received the green light from the Department of Education to develop the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology (IoT). This is one of only 12 IOTs nationally, which are designed to increase higher level technical skills for employers.

The IoT will bring investment of circa £10million of capital funding into the region for partners to invest in industry standard equipment and provide higher level technical training. This massive training boost will enhance employment opportunities and ensure highly qualified employees for the regions’ employers.

Other colleges in the consortium include: York College, Askham Bryan College, Bishop Burton College, Craven College, East Riding College, and Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education - who will work alongside two Higher Education providers; University of Hull and York St John University, to deliver the IoT in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The bid has received significant levels of employer support. Digital and Engineering businesses ViSR, CATCH, Skipton Building Society, GB Recruitment and ENGIE Fabricom recognised the need for investment in education to address their wider skills shortages and have been signed up as employer partners to be involved in designing the appropriate curriculum, supported by research from the universities. These employers will be part of the governance of the IoT to ensure continued collaboration and long term benefits for the region.

Ian Muir, Assistant Director for Engineering & Construction says: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to be part of this prestigious Institute of Technology, which will enable us to implement state of the art learning technology which is required to deliver the new skills and knowledge required by industry. Our focus is going to be on the new Industry 4 automation technology which is being introduced to many of our local manufacturing companies.”