Gavin Williamson MP, Secretary of State for Education, opened the Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC) based at Daedalus yesterday.
CETC is an innovative collaboration between construction business and Fareham College and offers practical training which means apprentices are ‘work ready’ after an intensive 20 week construction and groundwork apprenticeship course. The college is the brainchild of local businessman Mark Wells of Blanchard Wells.
CETC are benefitting from £2.8m Local Growth Fund investment from the Solent LEP and is the second flagship investment in skills awarded to Fareham College by the Solent LEP. Over 1,665 apprentices will be trained at this centre between 2018 and 2023. The purpose-built facility will offer first class training facilities which are designed to meet the future workforce requirements for civil engineering and construction businesses in the South.
The Secretary of State was then given a tour of the exciting new CETC, also known as Digger School, where he met a number of apprentices and businesses involved in the collaboration.
After the opening Caroline said:
“It is fantastic that the Secretary of State agreed to open CTEC and to see first-hand this unique training model. This is a unique solution to the national shortage of the construction and groundworks skills needed to fulfil the country’s infrastructure investment needs.”
Mark Wells, CEO at Blanchard Wells said:
“Our collaboration with Fareham College and the Solent LEP has been very productive and the completion of the new CETC facility will give us even greater leverage to expand our offering and continue to pioneer high-quality training in a live environment to take the industry forward.”
