Regeneration news
Institute of Transport Technology coming to Albert Island
Queen Mary University of London and Newham College are celebrating a successful bid to build a new state-of-the-art facility for transport technology on Albert Island.
The London Institute of Transport Technology (LITT), as it will be known, is one of just 12 such institutes that have been announced across the country. These collaborations bring employers together with further and higher educational institutions to provide a special focus on vocational expertise — a historically neglected pathway into the workplace.
The win is a significant moment both for Newham young people, and for Albert Island itself. Situated on the original eastern entrance to the Royal Docks, the development lies at the epicentre of rail, road, runway, and river networks. With plans to build a cutting-edge shipyard and commercial marina on the site, it's set to become the focus for London’s growing infrastructure and logistics industries, as well as a sustainable employment hub.
LITT will provide training opportunities locally; in turn the hub will be able to recruit the highly-qualified transport engineers that it needs. If all goes as planned, the institute is due to open in 2022.
This will become London’s leading centre for technology and engineering training for the transport sector.
Paul Stephen, principal of Newham College
The funding award from the Department for Education followed a national competition, and so far QMUL and Newham College have received provisional Institute of Technology status. It was announced today that the project will also receive £10m funding from the London Economic Action Partnership's Skills for Londoners Capital Fund. The application has been endorsed by transport organisations such as the Port of London Authority, Transport for London, and Siemens, as well as Albert Island's developer, London & Regional Properties.
Paul Stephen, principal of Newham College, said, “LITT will become London’s leading centre for technology and engineering training for the transport sector. There are fantastic employment opportunities across east London and we look forward to working closely with a range of transport employers in the coming years to create a centre of excellence focused on higher-level skills for this vital sector of the UK economy.” Professor David Lee, the deputy vice principal for research (enterprise) at QMUL, added, “This partnership of employers and education providers is set to create a transport technology hub at Albert Island to address the key concerns of employers relating to the current skills crisis in transport engineering and technology.”
Jules Pipe, the Deputy Mayor of Planning, Regeneration and Skills, said, “This will play a crucial role in delivering the Mayor’s vision to create a city for all Londoners, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to succeed in a fair, inclusive society and thriving economy." The Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, hailed the move as “a major step forward.” She said, “Newham is going places and together we are beginning to shape a legacy for generations to come.”
