Trafford And Stockport College Group Futureproof Skills With Hydrogen Safe Partnership

Thanks to a strategic partnership with Hydrogen Safe, the hydrogen safety training specialist that acts as a conduit between industry and education, Trafford and Stockport College Group (TSCG) has futureproofed the skills of both staff and students, while enhancing the learning experience it delivers.

Having allocated £12k from the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), TSCG has commissioned two projects from Hydrogen Safe, the first to deliver a one-day training course to teachers from its construction and engineering department, and the second to develop a series of digital assets to be used in its computer augmented virtual environments (CAVEs).

The ‘teaching the teachers’ one-day CPD course covered hydrogen’s potential as a clean energy solution, industry applications across various sectors, safety considerations, methods and challenges with transportation, emerging technologies and career opportunities.

The wider benefits to this training were that it provides staff with the knowledge and insight that they need to better understand the training that will be delivered to students.

Aligning its curriculum with the future requirements of the UK workforce, as businesses transition to greener ways of working, this focus on upskilling educators also reiterates TSCG’s commitment to meeting with its green ambitions and targets.

Assistant Principal of Trafford and Stockport College Group, Danielle Judge, comments: “Training the trainers is a great concept. It puts our teachers in the best position possible to offer insightful and informed feedback to our students.

“While we all read the headlines about transitioning to greener ways of working, it’s now time for action. We must be ready and prepare the next generation of industry leaders with the skills they will need to access the careers they aspire to work in.”

The second project to be delivered was for Hydrogen Safe, working alongside Ark Immersive, the leaders in immersive and interactive digital content, to produce a series of assets used in TSCG’s computer augmented virtual environments (CAVEs).

Supporting learning through multi-sensory experiences, the CAVEs use 3D images that are projected onto walls, ceilings and floors to simulate a virtual world. The head and hand movements of students are then tracked to allow them to interact with real world scenarios digitally.

Head of Studies – Construction & Sustainability at TSCG, Stewart Quayle, comments: “Not only does our investment into these digital assets support our position as an innovative education provider, it also provides our students with a variety of ways in which they can learn.

“The CAVEs are a wonderful experience and they really do provide students with a chance to immerse themselves in an environment. It can make all the difference to those that are doing apprenticeships that require hands-on work in manual settings. Not least because of the safety aspects that are involved with new ways of working.”

Founder and CEO of Hydrogen Safe, Andy Lord, comments: “Trafford and Stockport College Group are one of the first to fully embrace the need to train the trainers and to put in place the infrastructure that will allow students to learn in environments that are both dangerous and often inaccessible to those that are not qualified.

“With increasingly more investment redirected to developing hydrogen and the green energy sector, we must ensure that the talent of the future has the skills they need to work confidently and safely in this space.

“We really look forward to growing our partnership with TSCG and to building on the great work that we have already delivered together.”

Members of Hydrogen UK; the Hydrogen Energy Association; the Hydrogen Skills Alliance; and NPTC Group of Colleges, Net Zero Skills Advisory Board, as well as being a corporate partner of the Greater Manchester Mayors Charity, Hydrogen Safe works with businesses, education providers and individuals to deliver courses that meet with their specific objectives and sustainability goals.