Approval has been given to build a new £5 million rail engineering academy in North East England.
Gateshead Council has backed the planned development which has been designed to meet a growing demand for skills within the industry.
Newcastle College has said its new site will feature ‘state-of-the-art training rooms and workshops as well as industry standard equipment, such as track and junction boxes’.
The academy, which is due to open in September 2014, will offer courses for both new entrants and employers looking to up-skill their existing workforce.
Robin Ghurbhurun, deputy principal at Newcastle College said: “There are incredible changes taking place in the rail sector and our investment in the Rail Academy will help to put the region on the map in terms of world-class training and skills for the railway engineering sector.
“The Government has committed to spending billions to upgrade the rail network in the next 20 to 30 years creating thousands of job opportunities, so it is critical that the industry has access to the very best training and higher level skills.
“Our investment in the rail academy is very exciting and will support the Government with its plans to bring rail into the 21st Century.”
