The University of Lincoln and Lincoln College Group have formed a strategic alliance aimed at tackling skills shortages and supporting Greater Lincolnshire’s future workforce.<\/p>\n
The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding covering further and higher education, technical training, apprenticeships, research and innovation.<\/p>\n
Defence and security will be the first focus of the partnership, reflecting the concentration of RAF operations and defence businesses across Lincolnshire.<\/p>\n
The university and college plan to create clearer routes from education and training into employment while working with businesses to identify future workforce requirements before skills shortages become a constraint on growth.<\/p>\n
Both organisations will remain independent.<\/p>\n
Professor Neal Juster, vice chancellor of the University of Lincoln, said: \u201cGreater Lincolnshire has enormous potential and realising that potential means ensuring that people have access to the skills and opportunities that our future economy will need.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe University and Lincoln College already make significant contributions individually. This alliance is about seeing what is possible when we connect our respective strengths and begin thinking about education and skills as a system serving the needs of our region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means creating better connections between education, skills, research, innovation and employers, helping people progress through education and into rewarding careers while giving businesses access to the talent they need to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lincoln College has Defence Technical Excellence College status, while the University of Lincoln is a founding member of the government’s Defence Universities Alliance and has expertise in areas including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and engineering.<\/p>\n
The partners will work with employers to develop routes into defence careers spanning technical education, apprenticeships, higher education and professional development, as well as research and innovation.<\/p>\n
Mark Locking, chief executive and principal of Lincoln College Group, said: \u201cWe want to make the journey from school through technical education, apprenticeships and higher education into employment and continuing professional development clearer and easier to navigate for all of our learners, young and old.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor employers, closer collaboration offers an opportunity to anticipate future workforce needs and respond before skills shortages become a barrier to growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The alliance will also support the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority’s Local Growth Plan.<\/p>\n
Its scope is expected to expand beyond defence into sectors including agri-food and agri-tech, advanced manufacturing, energy, health and care, and AI and digital technologies.<\/p>\n
Other education providers, employers, public services and industry partners could also become involved.<\/p>\n
Juster added: \u201cDefence and Security provides an exciting place to start because Lincolnshire already has an extraordinary concentration of capability.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut our ambition extends much further, into the sectors that will shape Greater Lincolnshire’s economy for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Defence will provide initial focus before partnership expands into other growth sectors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2116869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120903],"coauthors":[95],"class_list":["post-2116868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-universities-and-business","tag-featured-story","tag-lincolnshire"],"yoast_head":"\n