New Exeter College tech site opens

Future Skills Centre is near Exeter Airport

Exeter College’s new Future Skills Centre has opened its doors for the first time, following a collaboration between it and Devon County Council.

The council has bought the former Flybe Training Academy near Exeter Airport for £4 million, and Exeter College is now leasing it to provide training and education to people of all ages skills and qualifications.

The centre, which has been vacant since Flybe went in to administration in March, will provide the region with a specialist facility for training for high-tech jobs in engineering, digital, construction and clean growth.  The new Future Skills Centre, as it will be called, will offer opportunities for young people as well as providing adults with the chance to upskill or retrain.

Exeter College has secured a £1 million grant from the Government’s Getting Building Fund to enhance, transform and equip the Future Skills Centre to be a nationally significant hub for training and education. 

The news is particularly welcome as Devon adapts to a reshaped economy, with many adults now looking to retrain for a new career or upskill in their current roles. Devon County Council leader John Hart said: “It is vital that everyone in the county – residents and visitors alike – does everything they can to keep the incidence of coronavirus as low as possible. But we must plan for the future and do all we can to protect and improve our economy so we can thrive and prosper.

“Our young people have been among the groups worst affected by covid and this directly addresses their future prospects as well as catering for people of all ages who may want to re-train. Creating and retaining a highly skilled workforce will underpin the economic prosperity of Devon and will be a key part of our recovery plan after Covid-19.

Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy said: “The Future Skills Centre will be the home of our forward-facing programmes of study, designed to help learners at different stages of their lives get the skills they need to fulfil the jobs of the future.

“Not only will this centre provide the future skills for a more sustainable Devon, it will also support us to develop skills in digital and data technologies, including building on our track record of working with artificial intelligence and supporting emerging sectors such as robotic agriculture.

“This collaboration reinforces our position as an innovative training and education provider, but more importantly ensures that the wider community has access to the very best opportunities."

The creation of the Future Skills Centre builds on Exeter College’s reputation for delivering exceptional training and education opportunities, with a new Digital and Data Centre on their Hele Road campus set for completion early in 2021. The Digital and Data Centre is part of a wider South West Institute of Technology plan to revolutionise digital, engineering and manufacturing technology across the region.