The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has published a consultation document to gather information about potential locations for the main site of the college. The information gathered through this consultation will enable a decision to be taken on location, it said.
Locations will be assessed against seven criteria:
- ability to establish links with rail sector employers
- ability to establish links with other education and training providers
- ease of access for students, with good public transport links
- the extent to which it will help rebalance the economy (promote regional growth)
- size and availability of a suitable site (2-5 acres)
- affordability and value for money;
- support of partner bodies, including employers, other education/training providers, local authorities and rail industry bodies.
Plans for a new college to train the next generation of engineers to work on high speed rail construction projects were unveiled by BIS on 14 January 2014. The new college will be an integral part of the government’s strategy for delivering a national high speed rail network.
The college is expected to open its doors to students in 2017. Any construction work required to build new facilities would start in 2016.
“The intention is for the college to work on a ‘hub and spoke’ model, with links to a range of skills providers, forming a network for railway and engineering skills across the UK,” the consultation paper says. “We envisage it acting as a centre for excellence that other providers can also learn from. Selecting a site for the new college’s main hub will be the first important step in its creation, and we are looking for information which will support a decision on where the main site of the college would be best located in order to meet its objectives.”
The full consultation document, High speed rail college: consultation on possible location of main site, can be downloaded at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/high-speed-rail-college-possible-location
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