London’s newest £100million college will cut huge shortage of skilled STEM workers in UK
London’s newest £100million college passed a major milestone today as the nine-story building reached its full height, 12 months after construction started in March 2021 on the first of the college’s three new buildings in Nine Elms. London South Bank Technical College will give 4000 students the chance to learn the latest STEM skills including science, technology, engineering, arts and maths, in hi-tech classrooms and workshops, rising to 6000 students by 2026.
Thousands of London South Bank Technical College students will play an important role in filling the UK’s huge science, technology, engineering and maths skills shortages:
- 40% of UK employers reported a shortage of science, technology, engineering and maths graduates as a key barrier in recruiting staff, in a CBI survey (2015)
- Over 50% of engineering design firms said they were experiencing skills shortages, in an Engineering Design Show survey (2021)
- £2 billion a year is the cost of data-driven skills shortages for the UK economy, according to a NESTA survey (2018)
- 69% of business leaders said they had a digital skills gap, in a Microsoft survey (2020). There is a 9% annual increase in demand for cyber security professionals and a shortfall of over 10,000 people a year for cyber security jobs, a government report reported (2021).
South Bank Colleges which is made up of Lambeth College and London South Bank Technical College will see a 55% increase in student numbers from 6700 to 10,000 students, between 2022 to 2026. 46 courses will be taught at the new college.
Fiona Morey, South Bank Colleges Executive Principal, said: “Working with employers, London South Bank Technical College will give 4000 young Londoners the hi-tech skills they need to put them at the front of the queue for in demand STEM jobs. From September our new college will give our students state-of-the-art facilities to learn new skills and build successful careers. The number of students at South Bank Colleges will rise by 55% over the next four years. That will give up to 10,000 young people and adults a year the chance to learn new skills and to secure successful futures into employment or onto university as part of our unique LSBU Group partnership.”
Professor David Phoenix, London South Bank University (LSBU) Vice-Chancellor, said: “London’s newest college will reduce skills shortages in London by training 4000 students in hi-tech skills in engineering, science and technology to give them direct routes into apprenticeships, higher education and highly skilled careers. It’s brilliant to see construction of the new college progressing so quickly. Less than a year after construction started the top 9th floor has been reached, for the first block. Our new London South Bank Technical College will train the next generation of scientists, business leaders and engineers from its site in Nine Elms when it opens in September 2022.”
Rob Joyce, Regional Director at GRAHAM: “Today marks a significant milestone as we reach the final height of London’s newest college. While there’s still a lot of work to do, we’re excited to see this state-of-the-art project come to life. It’s a privilege for us to play such an important role in delivering educational projects like these, which are always built with a legacy in mind as we strive to create the most supportive learning environments for the academic community.”