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Gateshead College Launches Low Carbon Vehicle Academy

The number of electric and hybrid cars on UK roads is rapidly growing and sometime in near future it’ll overtake fossil fuel cars. Obviously, There is a need for experts to help people easing the transition.

That’s what Gateshead College of North East England has been thinking. So they came up with a dedicated academy for low carbon vehicle industry. They have also opened North of England’s first public access Performance Track as part of the project.

Gateshead College’s Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation (SASMI) is the UK’s first education centre dedicated to the clean technologies sector. Housed in a state-of-the-art new £9.8 million building in Washington, Tyne & Wear, SASMI will deliver a wide range of low carbon vehicles skills training, with a focus on the automotive industry.

Green cars, electric vehicles in particular, bring with them a whole new lifestyle and new driving habits. For instance, you can’t just tow an electric car if the battery died, as it’ll damage the internal systems. There are many new things to learn about them, and that’s why the idea of a dedicated academy is not outlandish. Current courses include training for first responders, helping the emergency services and roadside rescue operators to safely deal with high voltagehybrid and electric vehicles. This will be followed by innovative courses dedicated to the production of EVs.

Mick Brophy, Managing Director of Business, Innovation & Development at Gateshead College, said: “North East England is at the heart of the UK’s emerging low carbon vehicle sector, making it the ideal home for the country’s first sustainable skills academy.

“If Britain is to continue to lead the world in the development and adoption of cleaner vehicles, we must also lead in training the people who will design, build and service them.  The Academy will support the growth of a new automotive industry, delivering the skill sets needed for these vital green-collar jobs.”

Along with Nissan and the region’s leading supply chain, the two new facilities form the hub of the Government’s £200m Low Carbon Enterprise Zone, which is expected to create 7,000 new  jobs in the region over the next decade.

Apprenticeships campaign already huge success

A major campaign led by The Journal and Evening Gazette is aiming to boost the number of firms taking on apprentices in the North East. And, as Karen McLauchlan reports, it’s already a huge success.

Just a few success stories from the campaign so far

AN initiative to recruit new apprentices for ‘green’ training places has been launched. The North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC) is looking for young apprentices for employment in the environmental sector.

A DOCTOR’S surgery in Sunderland is offering a host of new services to patients after putting two of its receptionists through a healthcare apprenticeship. Lynn Hutchinson and Emma Keerie at the Happy House Surgery on Durham Road are now fully functioning healthcare assistants after becoming apprentices through Gateshead Council’s bespoke service.

A TEENAGER who has been helping to carry out a major North East regeneration project has been honoured for his commitment and dedication. Aaron Leonard from Gateshead has been handed the Apprentice of the Year Award by community regeneration specialist Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) North East.

TYNESIDE MP Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle North, has recruited her own apprentice – and has urged others to do the same. Sixteen-year-old Charlene Curry is now working in the constituency office in Westerhope, Newcastle, where she will complete a business administration qualification.

A TRAINEE female mechanic for the police is proving her worth in a male-dominated industry and is urging other women to pick up a wrench and take up an apprenticeship in the motor industry. Carly Willumsen, from Newcastle, enrolled at Gateshead College and is well under way with her two-year apprenticeship technician course at Northumbria Police Fleet Management at Killingworth, to become a full-time vehicle technician.

TRAINEE plumber Shane Lodge has a new career in the pipeline after becoming the 100th apprentice to join a thriving scheme. The 20-year-old from Eston took up a role with A&P Plumbing and Heating, of Normanby, thanks to the support of Redcar and Cleveland Council’s routes to employment team.

A SPECIALIST technology firm has bolstered its team by taking on its first apprentices. PolyPhotonix, which has its research plant at PETEC, NetPark in Sedgefield, is pioneering the development of organic light technology (OLED). It has taken on apprentices Josh Greg, 18, from Stockton and Sean Bolton, 19, from Middlesbrough.

A TEESSIDE teenager is looking forward to a digital future after the North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC) secured an apprenticeship for him at a Teesside e-commerce website designer. Sixteen-year-old Alex Smith from Great Ayton has been taken on as an apprentice at Visualsoft, where he will be working at its busy Stockton office.

Green Apprenticeships Website www.greenapprentice.co.uk

Green Apprenticeships
Green Apprentices can bring real benefit to your business

www.greenapprentice.co.uk

Governments, business, industry and individuals are adapting in order to reduce their impact on the environment. In response to this, the ‘green’ jobs market is growing to accommodate the increased demand for environmental services.

To support these services, the NE Apprenticeship Company and Environmental Academy have developed the ‘Green Apprenticeship Scheme’. The starting cost to hire an apprentice is just £115 per week. We screen and select the right apprentice for your organisation and offer support along the way.

The starting cost of having an apprentice sourced and supported by us is £115 per week. This comprises of their salary plus a service charge to cover the management costs of employing and supporting the apprentice. In addition, we organise the latest training available from the Environmental Academy to equip the apprentice with the right environmental skills for the job. We can even arrange for your apprentice to be 'shared' across a number of organisations should you struggle to meet the ongoing costs.

To find out more about hiring an Apprentice please call Judith Jackson on 0191 490 4616.