Low carbon technology hub under construction to support Lancashire businesses

A Lancashire college is creating a “building of the future” designed to meet the training and skills needs of the zero-low carbon economy of the future.
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As part of the £8.4m Strategic Development Fund Pilot awarded to The Lancashire Colleges, the construction of the Sustainability Hub at Lancaster and Morecambe College is well under way as a showpiece for the county’s carbon reduction initiative and due to be operational in September.

The new hub is part of the Sustainable Energy project - one of seven projects under the SDF Pilot and incorporates a range of sustainable features including kinetic-energy capturing flooring, a robotic room, CAD suite, and a state-of-the-art 360 virtual reality suite with immersive headsets.

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Maggie Cawthorn, sustainability project coordinator at Lancaster and Morecambe College, said: “The new facilities will bring real practical benefits. The VR suite will allow learners to experience a range of work-related scenarios such as working at height training for wind-turbine engineering and investigating the impact of global warming on our local landscape. We are also working with primary schools to support their science curriculum and careers provision.

Some of the new low-carbon equipment being installed at Lancaster and Morecambe CollegeSome of the new low-carbon equipment being installed at Lancaster and Morecambe College
Some of the new low-carbon equipment being installed at Lancaster and Morecambe College
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“We’re introducing a culture of sustainability across the college and holding forums with students and staff on an ongoing basis to help improve knowledge and understanding of the issues.”

Once complete, the college will also arrange visits to the hub for community groups to share the benefits of how these technologies can work and is currently liaising with Lancaster City Council and Green Skills Group to help deliver the plan for retrofitting and improving people’s homes in the region.

The £670,000 investment in the centre has also enabled the development of a suite of new accredited environmental training qualifications, providing skills in retrofitting older homes to make them more environmentally-friendly, covering subjects such as insulation, ventilation, draught exclusion and air-source heat pumps.

Lancaster and Morecambe College is to become a hub for low carbon technologyLancaster and Morecambe College is to become a hub for low carbon technology
Lancaster and Morecambe College is to become a hub for low carbon technology

Working with employers of all sizes across diverse projects covering agriculture, construction, energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and automotive, Lancashire’s colleges are helping to create a skilled workforce for a future zero-low carbon economy.

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The Lancashire Colleges was chosen by the Department for Education to deliver the SDF Pilot, exploring how education providers can work together more effectively alongside employers and other partners to respond to local skills and innovation priorities as well as tackling the zero-low carbon agenda.

Employers can find out more details about how the programme can work to meet their own specific business needs at www.tlc.ac.uk/sdf.

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