Barnsley College, in collaboration with Laing O’Rourke and T3 Training & Development, has opened the UK’s first dedicated modern methods of construction (MMC) training facility.

The new facility, part-funded by the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), will provide people with the technical and digital skills required to assemble construction and engineering solutions that have been manufactured offsite.

This includes giving learners - trainee assembly specialists - access to the equipment and skills needed to work with large-scale modular components in a safe and controlled environment as they learn how to deliver sections of some of the UK’s largest infrastructure and construction projects.

It will be the first purpose-built facility to offer a Level 2 Apprenticeship in construction assembly installation – approved by The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) in 2019.

The apprentices will start in the new year.

Laing O’Rourke director, Peter Lyons, said: “We are proud and excited to launch this first-of-a-kind training facility with Barnsley College and T3 Training & Development, and to have created a training course that will help accelerate change across our sector.

“Not only will it enhance the skills of our current directly employed workforce, but it will also attract a more diverse range of people to consider a career in construction.

“Only through the wider use of digital technologies and modern methods of construction can we transform productivity and create better work and careers for people.

“It’s a change we need to make to ensure we can deliver the essential infrastructure the country needs, and which underpins our quality of life.”

Andy Adams, managing director T3 Training and Development, added: “This pioneering site and programme are designed not only to elevate T3 Training’s mission of delivering industry-specific training but also to address the critical skills gap in our sector.

“Through this facility, we aim to equip the next generation of ‘trainee assembly specialists’ with the technical and digital expertise needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.”