Some of the government’s £170 million for new technical schools is coming to Barking and Dagenham.
Barking and Dagenham College is one of the 12 places to receive funding for the new ‘Institutes of Technology’.
The college is leading a partnership that includes Coventry University (CU), TfL, communications giant Huawei and materials producer Saint Gobain to win the money.
The government’s aim with these new schools is to fill the skills gap in technical parts of the economy, like engineering.
Yvonne Kelly, principal and chief executive at the college said: “Employability and work readiness will be firmly embedded into the curriculum and learners will become ‘T-shaped technologists’, gaining important transferrable skills, such as problem solving, teamwork and resilience to support the changing markets and economies.”
The new Institute of Technology will open this autumn in the purpose-built building at Barking and Dagenham College’s Rush Green site.
It will focus on areas like construction, infrastructure, advanced engineering and robotics.
Neighbouring Newham has also received some of the money. Newham College is opening a new building focusing on transport technology in the Royal Docks.
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