The London South Bank Technical College will give 4,000 students the chance to learn the latest STEM skills including science, technology, engineering, arts and maths, in hi-tech classrooms and workshops, rising to 6,000 students by 2026.
South Bank Colleges which is made up of Lambeth College and London South Bank Technical College will see a 55 per cent increase in student numbers from 6700 to 10,000 students, between 2022 to 2026. Forty six courses will be taught at the new college.
Cllr Jacqui Dyer, Lambeth’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Jobs, Skills and Community Safety, said: “I was delighted to visit the site and see the progress being made because once opened this new college will help achieve our borough’s aims of ensuring our residents, particularly our young people, have access to the stable, well paid jobs of the future.
“We are focused on tackling the persistent and entrenched inequalities our residents face, and are prioritising jobs in this sector, and the creative industries, to help our young people achieve their huge potential.
“Once open and welcoming students this college will be a huge asset for our Lambeth residents.”
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:
- Forty per cent 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)
- More than 50 per cent 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)
- There is a nine per cent 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).
Fiona Morey, South Bank Colleges Executive Principal, said: “Working with employers, our London South Bank Technical College in Nine Elms 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 per cent 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 in Nine Elms 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 ninth 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.”
