A North East college group has unveiled a long-term plan to help more people gain skills, find work and fulfil their potential.
Education Training Collective (Etc.), based across the Tees Valley, has launched Destination 2030, a plan to widen access to education and link learners with careers.
Grant Glendinning, chief executive and group principal, said: "The world has changed hugely in recent years with global events, technology – which has exponentially impacted the way we work and what the future and our area might look like – and people’s attitudes to the future."
Education Training Collective’s Chief Executive and Group Principal Grant Glendinning (Image: Supplied)
The group includes Bede Sixth Form College, Innersummit, NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College.
It has invested heavily in new facilities to meet skills needs, working with employers, industry leaders and local authorities.
Mr Glendinning said: "For the group, this means maintaining a focus on every learner as an individual with their own unique hopes, plans and ambitions for the future.
"It’s about reaching more people so they can access education, overcome barriers, embrace inclusion and feel a sense of belonging, possibility and personal achievement.
"And it is building connections with employers and our communities to work together to shape provision, create opportunities, improve life chances and support growth."
The Department for Education has named Etc. a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College, recognising its clean energy training.
It has also expanded its engineering and industrial training, including with the £14.7 million NETA facility in Thornaby, due to open this year.
Other projects include the £4.7 million All Access Academy in Redcar and upgraded classrooms at Bede Sixth Form College.
Classrooms and workshops at Stockton Riverside College and Redcar and Cleveland College replicate real workplaces, helping vocational learners move into jobs.
Mr Glendinning said: "In terms of new facilities we have done a lot and now, connecting with industry leaders, employers and partners, it is time to make the best use of those spaces."
He said the investments must deliver long-term value for learners and the wider economy.
He said: "Here at the Etc. we are a major resource for industry partners, employers and people seeking success in the Tees Valley and beyond.
"Facilities including the new NETA Training centre, the All Access Academy and the Clean Energy Education Hub contain one-of-a-kind equipment that industry cannot easily access.
"And as professionals delivering outstanding learning for our students every day, we have a lot to share in terms of expertise."
He said Destination 2030 charts the group’s progress so far and sets its course for the future.
He said: "This is not just a rallying cry; this is a tangible plan."
Mr Glendinning also stressed the need for clear direction across the group’s sites.
He said: "It is important to set an intention, with high level aims and ambitions, for colleagues to better know and understand what they are working towards."
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The strategy follows major change and investment as Etc. aims to support growth across the Tees Valley and beyond.
The group aims to strengthen industry links and create opportunities that benefit learners and the wider economy.
Etc. says Destination 2030 marks the start of an ambitious new chapter for the group.