The Lincolnshire Institute of Technology (LIoT) has secured a further £2.5m investment from the second phase of the HigherTechnical Education Skills Injection fund after securing an initial £500,000 in the first round.
The investment will support learners across Lincolnshire to achieve highly-valued qualifications within priority sectors, such as engineering, construction, manufacturing, health, science, agriculture and environmental technologies.
LIoT partners that are set to benefit from the funding include Boston College, Grantham College & University Centre, Lincoln College, Riseholme College, University Campus North Lincolnshire (UCNL), and University Centre Grimsby.
£1.5m of capital investment will go towards state-of-the-art equipment, which will ensure that students and employers have access to the latest technologies.
The remaining £1m of resource funding will be invested in ensuring that LIoT partners can meet future employer and student expectations, including upskilling delivery staff in upcoming industry techniques.
Mick Lochran, Director at Lincolnshire Institute of Technology, said:
”This additional funding couldn’t be more valuable to us. If Greater Lincolnshire is to tackle the county’s long-term productivity gap and train the highly skilled professionals modern industry needs, education providers must be able to invest in the latest technologies.
“That being said, our work can only continue to succeed if more employers are investing in their workforce to build the higher level skills of the future. We’d urge all firms within these industries to upskill and develop their employees.
“I’m very excited to see what the next few years hold for all of the partners of Lincolnshire Institute of Technology - it’s fantastic to be a driving force in upskilling our area.”.
As a result of the funding boost, Greater Lincolnshire institutions are leading by example in establishing new Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs).
The new qualifications were first announced in 2020, brought in to improve Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Diplomas (HND). They have been designed to better align occupations, and focus more on improving skills as well as knowledge within the workplace.
Alongside the full HTQ qualification, partners of Lincolnshire Institute of Technology are also offering singular units, for those individuals looking to access specific training required for their roles. Learners can now study and gain accreditations only for those individual units or modules that they require, rather than having to undertake a full course.
Lincolnshire Institute of Technology partners offering HTQs include Boston College, Grantham College & University Centre, Lincoln College, Riseholme College, University Campus North Lincolnshire (UCNL), and University Centre Grimsby.
For further information about Lincolnshire Institute of Technology, please visit www.liot.ac.uk or contact the education department at your local LIoT partner.
