Higher Apprenticeship in Sustainable Building coming to SusCon

Business Secretary Vince Cable yesterday announced details of how Government funding will support thousands of apprenticeships up to degree equivalent, enabling employers, colleges and universities to deliver the advanced skills most critical for growth. SusCon, part of NWK College, will develop a brand new higher qualification in Sustainable Building in partnership with the University of Greenwich.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Investing in skills is central to our drive to boost business and productivity and make the UK more competitive.

“By radically expanding the number of degree level apprenticeships for young people, we will put practical learning on a level footing with academic study. This is an essential step that will help rebalance our economy and build a society in which opportunity and reward are fairly and productively distributed.”

Skills Minister John Hayes said: "By reviving apprenticeships the Government has started to build a world class skills system to rival our country’s great reputation for academic excellence. We’ve driven up quality across the board, more than doubled the number of new advanced apprenticeships, created new routes into higher levels of practical learning and given employers more control of how the training budget is spent. We’re now targeting resources even more closely on the skills, firms and sectors that will lead economic recovery."

SusCon is pioneering a new approach to sustainable construction training that is designed to help people meet the challenges of a greener future. It is one of the most sustainable education facilities in the UK and a learning tool in its own right. In its Design Stage BREEAM Education Assessment the building scored 88.85% and a rating of OUTSTANDING. It has an A rated Energy Performance Certificate and what’s more the lifetime embodied and operational carbon footprint has been measured and reduced. Unavoidable carbon emissions have been compensated for by protecting 70 acres of Amazon rainforest.

More information from:

Sally Clarke, General Manager, SusCon, Brunel Way, Dartford, Kent DA1 5FW

T 01322 629565

E sally.clarke@suscon.uk.net