Latest news with #SuffolkNewCollege
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New drawings of Sizewell C's education complex in Leiston emerge
New details about an education complex which is being built by Sizewell C have emerged ahead of a public to planning permission, College on the Coast will include a permanent post-16 facility and apprentice hub and be located in Leiston, near where the power plant is due to be campus is being delivered in partnership with Suffolk New College and hopes to welcome its first students from Pyke, Sizewell C's joint managing director, believes the new facility will help people "who have faced real barriers" access education. "Building an education campus right here in this town will be life-changing for thousands of local people," she added."This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Leiston and the wider region." According to those behind the project, the site will deliver technical, vocational, and academic pathways "aligned to the workforce needs of Sizewell C and the wider energy, infrastructure, and engineering sectors".If approved, it will take shape as a two-storey building facing King George's Avenue with space for 150 students and 20 full-time staff. Alan Pease, principal and chief executive officer at Suffolk New College, said: "We are delighted to announce the location and design of our new Leiston training centre."This news further extends our commitment to support those living in the east of the county and builds on the work that we have achieved." The new details about the campus are being shared a day after it was revealed the cost of building the Sizewell C nuclear power plant had jumped to £38bn from £ will mean an additional £1 will be added to household energy bills every month for at least a Pyke said earlier estimates did not account for inflation or Alison Downes, director of pressure group Stop Sizewell C, said the project had "only crawled over the line thanks to guarantees that the public purse, not private investors, will carry the can for the inevitable cost overruns".She added: "It is astounding that it is only now, as contracts are being signed, that the government has confessed that Sizewell C's cost has almost doubled to an eye watering £38bn - a figure that will only go up." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Suffolk Rural college welcomes new baby wallaby and skunks
New baby animals, including a wallaby, have been welcomed at an agricultural Rural, based in Otley and part of Suffolk New College, said it was "delighted" to see one of its wallabies, Jessie, had given technician, Andrew Waddingham, said the team witnessed the joey's arrival last small skunks have also been born in recent weeks. "We first noticed a head pop out of Jessie's pouch about three weeks ago," Mr Waddingham said. "Although with Wallabies, it could be up to six months old as they crawl up into the pouch for nearly half a year."Hopefully within a couple of weeks it will hop out of the pouch." Two baby skunks, one of which is albino, were also born about nine weeks ago and have been at the college for the past fortnight. They have been named Winston and Ralph by the college's animal centre manager, Helen Pearson, who used the names of her childhood gerbils. The new additions were just some of the animals welcomed at the college after it unveiled new facilities earlier this animals given a home included meerkats, with the site hoping to introduce capybaras in the near future."We currently support over a hundred students who get to work with lots of different animals in some amazing new facilities - so it's a very exciting time for our department," Mr Waddingham added. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New nuclear power station champions local education and training opportunities
As tens of thousands of teenagers across Suffolk eagerly await their exam results, Sizewell C is stepping up efforts to enhance local education and training opportunities for children and young people. Last month, the project unveiled plans to establish a post-16 college for its host town of Leiston. Delivered in partnership with Suffolk New College, the permanent facility will transform higher education access in an area where there are limited options for Further Education and specialist vocational training, creating a lasting skills legacy for the region. The plans also include an Apprenticeship and Trainee Hub, which will support the 540 local apprenticeships that Sizewell C has pledged to deliver during the construction of the nuclear power station, as well as a purpose-built Centre of Excellence which will provide training in areas such as civils, mechanical, electrical and welding. Alan Pease, principal and chief executive officer at Suffolk New College (Image: Simply C Photography) 'I'm very grateful to Sizewell C for their vision and collaboration on this further education college project,' said Alan Pease, principal and chief executive officer at Suffolk New College. 'Without their continued support, this opportunity wouldn't be possible. 'The collaboration will enable us to support the local community with post-16 education for young people and adults – not only related to skills required by Sizewell C, but also more generally.' The college is expected to open in September 2027. READ MORE: Meet the jobs matchmaker filling roles at Sizewell C An employability hub called Nucleus has also been launched at East Coast College in Lowestoft, in partnership with Sizewell C. The hub supports students in securing employment by offering help with CV writing, interview preparation and access to regional job opportunities. In total, Sizewell C is investing more than £20m to improve skills in the area. This includes enhancing facilities and resources across local colleges, higher education institutions, and training providers. An Apprenticeship and Trainee Hub will support 540 local apprenticeships (Image: Sizewell C) Its Young Sizewell C initiative, which connects those aged 14 to 21 in Suffolk and Norfolk with in-demand careers and apprenticeships, has already attracted over 1,700 sign-ups. A dedicated Young Sizewell C website offering access to job and training opportunities is set to launch later this year. Meanwhile, more than 17,000 young people have engaged with Sizewell C's Power Up! programme, which has equipped over 200 schools with resources to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Volunteers from Sizewell C and its supply chain have also led school workshops, with 96% of surveyed teachers reporting they felt more confident teaching STEM subjects as a result. Chris Young, head of the Employment Affairs Unit at Sizewell C (Image: Sizewell C) 'Young people today won't just help build the power station in future – they'll also operate and maintain it once it's switched on,' said Chris Young, head of the Employment Affairs Unit at Sizewell C. 'By opening their eyes to all the exciting careers available now, they'll hopefully consider a career in the energy sector once they finish their education. The industry has many incredible benefits, such as good salaries and transferrable skills.' READ MORE: 'Home away from home' – Sizewell C builds new accommodation campus Sizewell C is also funding a programme to enhance STEM education in more than a dozen local primary and secondary schools. Led by the Kingfisher Schools Trust, the newly formed Leiston Education Partnership will build on the initiative to establish an engaging STEM curriculum across primary schools. This will ensure a smooth transition to secondary education and boost student aspiration and achievement – particularly in GCSE Science. Dan Mayhew, director of community and partnerships at the Kingfisher Schools Trust (Image: Andrew Henry) As part of the same programme, Sizewell C has funded the appointment of a head of community arts engagement. This role supports local schools in building students' confidence and self-esteem through creative arts, with music performances scheduled in the coming weeks. 'We're already making a huge difference to the lives of young people in the area,' said Dan Mayhew, director of community and partnerships at the Kingfisher Schools Trust. 'Science lessons are becoming more engaging, and pupils, who may have never sung in front of each other before, are taking part in group singalongs. "It's only right that young people benefit from the construction of Sizewell C, and we see this as a golden opportunity to raise aspirations and help fully prepare our students for all the opportunities the project may bring.' For more information, visit (Image: Newsquest) This article is part of the EADT's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Leiston residents react to Sizewell C's plan for a new college
Sizewell C nuclear power plant's decision to open a post-16 college in Leiston, Suffolk, has been described as "fantastic" by some residents, but many still fear the impact of the plant. Sizewell C said on Thursday the college would be opened in September 2027, in partnership with Suffolk New College. The training on offer would not only serve the future nuclear station's workforce, but the wider energy, infrastructure and engineering sectors, it Newson, who owns a cafe in Leiston, said the plans for both the college and plant would bring people into the area. "It can only help the younger population and give them a better grade of education," he said."Looking ahead they've got something to aim for, give them an objective in life to obtain to."I know there's a lot of people against it [the nuclear power plant], more the older generation."The younger generation see the positives in it, they've seen it happen elsewhere, and you've got to look on the bright side and say, 'We're going forward, the town is going forward as a whole'." 'Amazing' Francis Newson echoed Mr Newson and said the news of the college was "brilliant"."Leiston is a lovely town, but it needs more amenities especially for the youngsters because they are our tomorrow," she said."A lot of children now won't go to sixth form or college because they have to go out of town and it's too far to travel."So if they can get their further education on site, it's amazing." 'An opportunity' Reece Stone, 27, from Leiston, believed the college would "level up" the area while the nuclear power plant plan was a "positive"."It's wonderful because this area has been in need of investment, it's been in need of opportunity," he explained."I know a lot of young people who have gone further afield, they've gone to Ipswich, they've gone to London in search of jobs and careers that mean something to them."There's not been much for that [in Leiston], so Sizewell is an opportunity for them to do that, having the college here as a place for them to learn and then potentially go on to work there or elsewhere in the area." 'Wrong place, wrong time' Robert Flindall, 70, and his wife Helen Flindall, 64, live in Eastbridge, north of both have reservations about the college and nuclear power plant."Where on Earth would a college be put in a small town like Leiston," Mr Flindall questioned."I'm a planner by profession, I know it would be difficult to provide, but if a college provides that service for local people then that'll be wonderful, but not necessarily associated with Sizewell C."Mr Flindall said he felt Sizewell C would not help solve the climate emergency in time while Mrs Flindall did not believe the nuclear power plant would help younger generations."It's the wrong place at the wrong time and there's other things that they could do that'll be faster to generate the electricity that we need," she said."We know we need it, we're not being silly about it." 'There's nothing here' Linda Middleditch, 75, who works in a Leiston shop said the plan for the college was "brilliant"."You're always going to get people who are going to [be negative about] it, but why? "The youngsters have got to have a chance to travel and there's nothing here, so they've got to travel and they may not want to travel. It's a good thing."She added she had no problems with the power plant. 'It'll help families' James Felgate, 46, believed the college was a "great opportunity" for young people."At the moment they have to travel to Ipswich or Lowestoft or Halesworth so it'll be good for them not to have to travel because of the cost of things, it'll help families out and stops pricing them out from going to colleges," he Felgate's son, Freddie, 15, is doing his GCSEs right now and planned to study landscaping at Suffolk New College's rural campus in Otley."If the [Sizewell C] college was already built here and they did the same course, I probably would have gone," he Freddie said he did not know anyone his age considering a career at Sizewell, he said an apprenticeship there "would be nice". 'Devastation' Jenny Kirtley is the chairperson of Together Against Sizewell she felt the college was "probably a good idea", she questioned what the courses would involve."We are hoping it'll maybe include an environmentalist conservation course because my goodness, this area is going to need it after this [Sizewell C's] build," she said."I think local people thought it was going to be just like the Sizewell B build, one road needed for Sizewell A and B."Ms Kirtley also questioned how many local students would get a space in the college. 'Important role' The new college is to be an extension of Suffolk New College's coastal Pyke, Sizewell C joint managing director, said the college would create a "highly skilled, homegrown workforce".While some work is ongoing to prepare for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, a final investment decision will be made by the government during the spending review next Secretary Ed Miliband previously said he wanted to develop further nuclear sites and the government has insisted that new nuclear plants would be needed for the UK to hit its target to decarbonise power currently produces about 14% of the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero explained Sizewell C would "play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and net zero", while creating thousands of jobs."The project is expected to reduce the cost of the electricity system, boost our supply of secure homegrown power and generate major investment nationwide," they added. Political analysis Sizewell C is a very expensive project and critics question exactly how it will be funded. There are also concerns about the environmental impact, even if the current technology is out of despite all that, the mood from the government suggests that it does want to back this has already given it £6bn and though we are saying Sizewell C will put money into this college, it is probably the taxpayer's money that is partly funding is a bit off the beaten track, there is limited access to further education and training, so the project would be very big for the the energy industry, at the moment, there is a lot of concern about where the sector's workers are going to come from. This is a particular problem for Suffolk, which is not just expanding in nuclear energy but also offshore wind and solar as well. A number of colleges in the region have started to increase their training provision and their apprenticeship we have got a new college coming on to the market which intends to do the same. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sizewell C announces plan to build new Leiston post-16 college
Sizewell C nuclear power plant has announced plans to build and open a new post-16 in partnership with Suffolk New College, Sizewell C said it planned for the college to be opened in Leiston, Suffolk, in September 2027. The institution would offer comprehensive, multi-site education and training and also support up to 540 local apprentices, it added. Julia Pyke, Sizewell C joint managing director, said the college would create a "highly skilled, homegrown workforce". The college would be an extension of Suffolk New College's coastal campus and will offer technical, vocational and academic pathways aligned not only to the workforce needs of Sizewell C, but the wider energy, infrastructure and engineering sectors."Working with Suffolk New College, we're going well beyond our planning requirements to deliver a new college for Leiston – where public transport is a barrier to post-16 education – and which will continue to benefit the area long after construction has finished," Ms Pyke said."Alongside a new apprenticeship hub and centre of excellence, for which we'll work with a range of local partners, we'll be providing new facilities that will mark a major step forward for education and training in this rural area of Suffolk," she added. Alan Pease, Suffolk New College's principal and chief executive officer, said the new college would allow it to support the local community "not only related to skills required by Sizewell C, but also more generally"."As a community-based college, Suffolk New College already work with learners from across Suffolk, but the new campus will allow us to bring our expertise in the delivery of vocational and technical education to the local community in Leiston and its surrounding areas," he Hill, the mayor of Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council, said she was excited by the opportunities the college would offer to local people. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
