UK chemical plant for the future

Leeds, UK — Yorkshire Forward has opened an £8-million mock chemicals plant in Stallingborough, near Grimsby, as part of an initiative to tackle skills shortages in the Yorkshire and Humber chemicals industry.

CATCH (the Centre for the Assessment of Technical Competence Humber) looks similar to the many active chemicals plants on the banks of the river Humber. It comprises a full-scale plant section with working machinery, control room and workshops; but with only water and other non-hazardous substances running through its pipe network.

According to Yorkshire Forward, CATCH is unique in Europe in providing a ‘real life’ training environment for technical staff in the chemicals industry. The opening marks the culmination of five-year project in response to a growing skills gap in the chemicals industry as well as to legislation, which bans the training of unskilled personnel on hazardous sites.

Yorkshire Forward contributed £4 million to CATCH, which also attracted funding of £1.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund, and £250,000 from the Learning and Skills Council. The unit received donations of equipment from industry and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.

The Humberside centre is open to all chemical companies to use for in-house training or to commission programmes through CATCH and its network of training providers. The site also operates training courses for new apprentices, who previously could only study their trade in the classroom.

The chemicals industry in Yorkshire and Humber is one of the largest in the UK, with 24,000 employees and an annual turnover of £8 billion, according to Terry Hodgkinson, chairman of Yorkshire Forward.

“This industry is vital to region’s future economic prosperity and whilst we continue to invest in programmes that will encourage more young people to pursue careers in the sciences, we need to address skills shortages in the here and now,” said Hodgkinson.

Sir Digby Jones, former director general of the CBI, who officially opened the Centre on 19 Sept, added: “The survival of British industry depends on its workforce having the skills required to carry out their roles effectively. Too many young people are now entering the workforce without the practical skills they need to do the jobs required by the marketplace.”