Leaders representing Hutchison Ports’ Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International have recently met with leaders of Colchester Institute, to mark the launch of a collaborative partnership between the organisations.
Hutchison Ports UK is investing in the future by recruiting for maintenance technician apprenticeship roles within its engineering department. The agreement will see apprentices training on a specialised three-year advanced manufacturing programme at the College.
As part of the ports’ engineering teams, apprentices will work on live projects and state-of-the-art operational equipment, introducing them to the engineering requirements of the largest container port in the UK.
Responsibilities will encompass the maintenance and repair of over 200 internal tractor and trailer units for moving containers, including a growing electric vehicle fleet, autonomous trucks, numerous quayside and mobile yard cranes, and RoRo linkspan bridges and passenger boarding bridges.
Following the awarding of freeport status to the ports of Harwich and Felixstowe as Freeport East, there is a huge opportunity to drive economic growth and create thousands of skilled jobs in the East of England.
Further developments within the partnership will see the delivery of industry training programmes and qualifications for new and existing Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International engineers at the College’s Colchester campus and at the Energy Skills Centre at Harwich International Port, which opened in 2013 following a £500,000 investment.
Nick Luck, Hutchison Ports UK’s HR Director and Director of Harwich International Port, acknowledges how investment in people is critical to the success of Hutchison Ports UK,
“The engineering departments at both the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International are an integral part of the wheels that keep Britain moving. There is more to our ports than just moving containers.
Our commitment to attracting, developing and retaining the best employees is enhanced by our investment in apprentices. Our experienced engineering teams are committed to providing the engineering apprentices with constant support in the workplace whilst they work towards completing their professional qualifications through the training facilities at Colchester Institute.”
Principal and Chief Executive of Colchester Institute, Alison Andreas, said
“We are very excited about this partnership, which builds on our strong track record of working closely with employers to establish bespoke training solutions. As members of the Haven Gateway Partnership, we have been aware of the opportunities that freeport status could bring to the ports of Harwich and Felixstowe for some time. We expect this to be one of many engagements with new and existing businesses to support their development and expansion through the provision of skills.”
Amy Barr, Work Based Learning Manager for Engineering and Construction at the College is enthusiastic about the programme commencing.
“We’re looking forward to training the apprentices in our outstanding facilities. The College strives to support our students through their learning experiences, expanding their knowledge on their journey through industry”.
Those interested in the scheme will be able to find out further information at an upcoming recruitment evening taking place on November 30th 6pm – 8pm.
