Nottingham college opens new dedicated training centre to address regional green skills shortages

A new £250,000 centre for green skills training and education has been officially opened at Nottingham College, to address skills shortages in both construction and renewable energy in the region.

The Green Skills Centre, based within the Nottingham Sustainability Enterprise Centre at Basford campus, is kitted out with nine state-of-the-art, interactive demonstration and training bays, comprising solar PV, air source heat pumps, battery storage, electric vehicle charging and solar thermal technologies.

In each area, students will have access to a live working bay, an installation / maintenance bay, and a fault-finding bay, giving them practical application of learning across core low carbon technologies in live real-world scenarios.

The launch of the Green Skills Centre is hot on the heels of significant adjacent investment at Nottingham College’s Basford campus, including the £6million Construction Skills Centre which opened in November 2024.

Funded by the Local Skills Improvement Fund and delivered in partnership with Quantum Training, the Green Skills Centre will respond directly to the region’s local skills needs and set the standard for upskilling in green sustainability-focused careers, both for students in further education and adults who may already be working in industry.

Bolstering the sustainability offer at the college, the Green Skills Centre enhances Nottingham College’s ability to play a pivotal role in supporting the construction sector, as it gears up to deliver the government’s 1.5 million homes mission – many of which will need to hit significant sustainability benchmarks.

The new facility also complements the existing green skills provision offering through the Gas Centre at Basford and the electric vehicle and related technologies courses offered at Ruddington campus.

In addition, the Green Skills Centre supports Nottingham College’s commitment to achieving carbon net zero through its comprehensive suite of sustainability initiatives, including decarbonisation of heritage buildings, rewilding projects in city centre locations and other retrofit initiatives to reduce energy consumption.

Carl Ara, Assistant Principal at Basford, acknowledged the impact that the new facility will have on teaching. He said:

“The Green Skills Centre provides a unique learning environment for students to develop their practical skills and understanding of green skills required in industry. Qualifications in green skills courses opens up a number of career options for students, whether that is in robotics, renewable technologies, business, construction and the built environment, agriculture, hospitality and retail, science and the public sector – so it is an education pathway which provides students with a great number of choices for further study and employment.

“Our mission at Nottingham College is to unlock potential through learning and this is exactly the sort of future-ready facility that will support delivery of a high standard of education for our students and adult learners in industry.”

James Swift, Director of Strategic Development and Projects at Nottingham College, was part of the bids team instrumental in accessing funding for the centre. He said:

“Success in allocation of funding for the Green Skills Centre is in part thanks to the increased demand for jobs and careers in green skills, exacerbated by a growing emphasis on tackling the climate emergency. As our understanding of environmental pressures increases, it is becoming more important to respond to these challenges in our society – and so green skills will help us address them across multiple industry sectors here in Nottingham and beyond.”

Maria Gonella, Managing Partner at Quantum Training, said:

“At Quantum, we’ve been delivering practical, hands-on renewable and retrofit training facilities across the country, as part of our mission to help drive the UK’s transition to net zero. One of the biggest challenges in achieving this goal is the shortage of a workforce equipped with green skills. That’s why we’re committed to supporting colleges, like Nottingham, in delivering green skills training and preparing learners with the expertise needed to drive the UK’s green transition.”