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Mission two: make Britain a clean energy superpower

Newcastle College, Tyne and Wear

At Newcastle College, the Energy Academy works with key employers in the clean and renewable energy sector to support the country’s journey to net zero. Training hundreds of students each year in the most up-to-date green skills on industry standard equipment, the college is providing the workforce needed to ensure Britian can become a green energy superpower.

"At Hinkley Point C we know that further education colleges are absolutely key in providing the skilled workforce we need to help Britain achieve net-zero. Hinkley Point C will produce reliable low carbon electricity for six million homes and is also helping thousands of people gain new skills and higher-paid jobs and our partnership with Bridgwater & Taunton College has been vital in supporting project. This green investment is also a catalyst for much longer-term regional growth, which will leave a legacy of a more skilled and productive workforce.”

Stuart Crooks CBE, Managing Director, Hinkley Point C

Loughborough College, Leicestershire

Through the East Midlands Institute of Technology (EMIoT), Loughborough College, the University of Derby, Loughborough University, and Derby College Group (DCG) are spearheading a £13 million initiative to develop the advanced skills required to address the grand engineering challenges associated with clean growth. By focussing on engineering, manufacturing, digital technologies, and sustainable construction, the EMIoT is equipping students with the expertise needed to excel in a rapidly evolving, data-driven economy.

The EMIoT offers tailored programmes in engineering and manufacturing technologies, information and communication technology, science and mathematics, and construction. These specialised courses are designed to meet the demands of industry 4.0 and support the transition to a net zero carbon economy. The institute has industry collaboration at its heart and works closely with leading global employers like Rolls-Royce, Toyota, National Grid ESO, Alstom, Fujitsu, Uniper, and Bloc Digital. These partnerships ensure that students gain the precise skills required by the industry to tackle clean growth challenges, positioning them at the forefront of the green economy. Students benefit from world-class training environments with state-of-the-art facilities across all four partner sites, ensuring they are equipped with the practical skills and experience needed to contribute to the UK’s clean energy future.

The EMIoT is a prime example of how educational institutions can directly contribute to Labour’s clean energy mission by fostering a new generation of skilled professionals who will drive the green economy forward and play a critical role in supporting the UK’s journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

"It’s right that government have put the drive to net zero at the heart of their missions. Embedding net zero and nature considerations into our skills and education framework is fundamental to achieving the UK’s climate and biodiversity commitments, while also contributing to a successful economic future and employment opportunities across the country. The role of further education colleges here should not be underestimated; they will be crucial in providing the skilled workforce needed to deliver net zero and a just and fair transition by reskilling those shifting from high carbon sectors, so it’s vital this is well understood across government.”

Rt Hon Baroness Hayman GBE, Crossbench Peer, Chair of Peers for the Planet

Myerscough College, Lancashire

Farmers in Lancashire are developing more efficient and sustainable production methods thanks to support from Myerscough College.

In 2023, the college became early members of the Sustainable Farmer Network, a collaboration of land-based colleges supporting farmers to achieve net zero. The network meets regularly to share new technology and innovation, and works with farmers to achieve four things: increase efficiencies and improve productivity by making better use of on-farm nutrients, reduce purchased feed and fertilizer to produce more food with less inputs in a smarter way, maintain and improve soils, hedgerows and trees, and offset grid energy with solar, wind, methane power or anaerobic digestion.

To further support with this, the Myerscough College Ag Net Zero Challenge, funded by the skills development fund, undertook 10 carbon audits on 10 different Lancashire farm types, and then delivered events across the county to support farmers to take steps to reduce farm emissions and improve business resilience.

The college farm is on its way to being net-zero through the use good nutrient management practices, soil testing all of the farmed estate to establish nutrient reserves and plan for subsequent cropping using these results. The farm is able to variable rate slurry spread and use precision technology to spread purchased fertilizer. Self-propelled diet feeding utilises near infra-red spectrometry to measure forage dry matter, by load, enabling precision feeding therefore reducing purchased feed. Robotics and automation have enabled dairy staff to focus on the cows, and target setting includes waste minimization, reducing waste to landfill and reducing antibiotic use.