Four new training facilities have been opened across Greater Lincolnshire so far in 2022.

As a result of an investment programme supporting business and local residents four new training facilities have been opened across Greater Lincolnshire so far in 2022 thanks to £7.66m of funding from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

In May Boston College opened its new Digital, Transport and Logistics Academy (pictured) which is leading the way in delivering skills training for Lincolnshire’s logistics and transportation industry.

The Digital, Technology and Logistics Academy was funded by a £2.45 million grant from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, while the college paid the remaining £1.05 million. An additional £182,976 of funding from Boston Borough Council was used to purchase industry-standard equipment as part of the Towns Fund.

New facilities include a transport workshop, a network and hardware computer room holding industry standard equipment, a driving simulator, HGV and electric/hybrid training rigs, and digital software ranging from basic IT skills all the way to modern smart technology to equip local employers for Industry 4.0.

Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: “The UK’s transport and logistics activities employ over 2.2 million people, and this new centre will help support local, national and international supply chains across the sector and generate career progression in the highly skilled digital economy.

With our £2.4m skills capital grant contribution, the LEP is proud to have enabled the development of this amazing facility in Boston, which will provide much needed industry standard training and a progressive skills pathway from Level 1 to Level 5.”

In the same month Pat Doody was also on hand to officially open the new Digital and Professional Skills Centre at Lincoln College.

Housed in the 130-year-old grade II listed Gibney Building on Monks Road, the centre represents a £2.5m investment by the LEP and will help train students for careers in health and social care and cyber security.

It is home to the latest technology to ensure graduating students are familiar with cutting-edge industry techniques, and it also houses the Lincoln Business Centre, an incubation hub and co-working space for start-ups in the city.

"We supported this new centre because it responds directly to the skills and training requirements for employers in our priority sectors – particularly manufacturing and engineering, health and care, and digital and IT – at a time when it is needed the most,” said Pat.

In April Boston College opened its new £750,000 Care Centre of Regional Excellence (Care CoRE) with the help of a Getting Building Fund allocation from the LEP of £412,427.

The Care CoRE is an innovative, multi-functional training centre for the care sector which focuses on teaching the industry’s future workforce.

The facility has been reconfigured to provide health and social care learners with an industry-standard clinical ward and a realistic working flat for social care including a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom to model supported living.

Learners will benefit from brand new equipment including virtual and augmented reality, smart technologies such as fridges, motion sensors, remote monitoring capabilities, ceiling track hoist, vital signs monitor, a diabetic foot, medical screens, mannequins, iPads, laptops and furniture.

Meanwhile in Scunthorpe University Campus North Lincolnshire (UCNL), part of DN Colleges Group, was opened in the former county council building on the edge of Central Park.

The campus significantly enhances the diversity and quality of regional provision for higher education serving local people and businesses.

Courses include HNCs and HNDs, foundation and full degrees, short courses, and apprenticeships.

Alongside the opportunities for learners, UCNL has also been designed to provide a hub for business and community networking, and shared learning. Spacious top floor conference facilities, plus classrooms and break-out spaces, combine with the revitalised Chamber Lecture Theatre, to enable a diversity of events and activities.

The project cost £9.1 million and benefited from a £2.3 million grant from the Government’s Growth Deal which was secured through the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.