Careers, not courses
The South Coast Institute of Technology (IoT) is a collaboration of four further education partners and two universities – Solent University, University of Portsmouth, Havant and South Downs College, Brockenhurst College, South Hampshire College Group - Southampton City, South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh, and South Hampshire College Group - Fareham, Havant and South Downs College, and The Isle of Wight College.
The South Coast IoT will deliver a wide range of flexible post-16 technical education including T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, apprenticeships, degrees, and professional qualifications. These courses can lead to a wide range of exciting and dynamic career pathways, from superyacht engineers, or manufacturing wind turbines, to researching long-term sustainable solutions to climate change, and building virtual production film sets.
What the South Coast Institute of Technology will bring to the region
Building work has begun on seven capital grant projects to create industry-standard facilities, including construction of new Centres of Excellence (CoE) and the expansion of existing centres across providers.
Projects include a new engineering and maritime centre at Solent University, enhanced facilities at CEMAST (Fareham College), new equipment at Brockenhurst College's marine technology centre, a new digital centre at South Hampshire College Group - Southampton City, refurbished engineering and digital facilities at Havant and South Downs College, and a new higher education digital centre and expansion of CECAMM at The Isle of Wight College.
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New facilities at Solent
The investment from the South Coast Institute of Technology has enabled Solent University to improve existing facilities and ensure our students continue to have access to industry-standard facilities to support their studies.
An £8m refurbishment project has begun on the Sir Christopher Cockerell Building to transform the building into a 2,000m2 state-of-the-art space housing laboratories and workshops for our engineering, maritime, and yacht design courses.
- Interactive lab: for 3D printing, manufacturing, and robotics.
- Marine labs: designed to handle the processes of composite construction, from hand- and vacuum-assisted laminating, to pre-impregnated fibre construction and resin infusion.
- Construction materials lab: for testing various construction materials using equipment such as compression and flexura, scratch and impact resistance.
- Fabrication lab: An area for students to fabricate any 3D or practical woodwork for projects. There's also access to laser cutting facilities.
- Towing and stability tanks: for testing hydrodynamic lift and drag components for sailing and motor craft.
- Electronic labs: where electrical maintenance, operational, and fault-finding procedures are demonstrated and practiced on switchboards, motors and circuits.
- Materials testing lab: for teaching materials and destructive and non-destructive testing.
- Welding workshop: for teaching gas, electric arc, and MIG and TIG welding processes.
- Powerplant, lathes, and mills: for bench/hand fitting and the use of machine tools, turning, drilling, and milling.
Developing skills for the future
Building on an existing framework of extensive and well-placed initiatives, such as the Solent Maritime Enterprise Zone, the Solent region is on the cusp of a new era of growth and innovation. The Solent LEP has recently announced the new Solent 2050 strategy and exciting Solent Freeport initiative. Collaborations between employers and industries have shaped the high-level skills courses available.
From apprenticeships to degree level courses, the South Coast IoT is well-placed to develop skills and drive ambition for students preparing for their first step into skilled employment, already in work, or those wishing to retrain.
Working with industry
The South Coast IoT is central to ensuring a sufficient home-grown workforce with the right skills to meet industry needs. It is working with key employers including, the Royal Navy and Portsmouth International Port, and has support from key local employers such as IBM, QinetiQ, Leonardo, Maritime UK Solent, GKN, DDC, and Teemill with the aim to increase education and employment opportunities across maritime, engineering and digital industries. A key priority of the initiative is to support individuals from under-represented groups to foster valuable connections and access sustainable, well-paid careers.
The Royal Navy is delighted to be a core employer partner of the South Coast IoT, as its impact will be significant. Integral to the bidding process, through our Solent Maritime Enterprise Zone team, we see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the higher technical skills shortage not only in the region but nationally and is essential in supporting a much-needed growth in productivity particularly in the maritime, engineering and digital industries.
