Harlow College, in partnership with Stansted Airport, has today moved closer to its vision of developing a flagship Professional and Technical Skills Centre at Stansted Airport.

This follows the announcement by Andrew Percy MP, Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, that the College is set to receive £3.5 million funding from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, aimed at revitalising local economies and boosting skills and employment, improving educational attainment and creating new jobs.

The £11 million Centre at Stansted Airport will be Uttlesford’s first College and will open in September 2018, providing specialist further education tailored to fill skills gaps in engineering, business & finance and Airport related Industries.

The Centre, an innovative partnership between education, industry and commerce, is backed by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and Essex County Council and is an important part of the larger story for Stansted’s growth.

Andrew Cowan, CEO, Stansted Airport said:

'Securing, developing and retaining the right talent and skills in a growing airport like Stansted is critical to our business, our 200 on-site business partners and the long term prosperity of our region.

“With the Government rightly focused on delivering a modern industrial strategy, we are delighted SELEP has seized the opportunity and recognised the potential of a Technical and Professional Skills Centre at Stansted. We will all now play our part in making this facility a beacon of skills and talent in the East of England.”

Karen Spencer, Chief Executive of Harlow College, is determined to show young people the exciting careers they can have working at an airport like Stansted:

“This funding is wonderful news for employers based at Stansted Airport and is a measure of the Government’s confidence in Harlow College to deliver another major project to support skills, jobs and growth.

“Our vision is to provide young people with high quality learning which brings them closer to industry and ultimately great job opportunities. We are genuinely about ‘careers, not just courses’ – our work with Stansted is about challenging young peoples’ perceptions of an airport and the types of opportunities available to them. We are also thrilled to be working with Uttlesford schools on the launch of the project.”

South East LEP Chairman Christian Brodie said:

“This Growth Deal settlement is a huge boost for the South East economy.

“This investment enables us to drive forward our shared growth agenda delivering economic growth, new jobs, facilitating housing, improving connectivity and boosting skills in the South East.

“Reaching right across the South East from the Thames Gateway; to skills investment at Stansted Airport; to communities and culture in Eastbourne; and, strategic connectivity in rail at Ashford; this funding presents opportunities for us to fund future growth in new and different ways.”

The project also has strong support from Uttlesford County Council.

Cllr Howard Rolfe, Leader of the Council, said:

“This would be the first tertiary college in Uttlesford so we are delighted with the announcement. We have been fully supportive of the bid as it will address our core objectives of supporting local career path opportunities and working with business to better align qualifications with employer requirements.

We look forward to working with Harlow College and Stansted Airport in progressing this excellent project.”

Harlow College and its partners will now continue to put together the remainder of the funding package required to deliver this vital project.

For further information on the project, please contact or 01279 868301