Partnership aims to develop defence sector skills

Academics in Lincolnshire say a new partnership could help develop skills, innovation and opportunities within the defence and security sector.

Lincoln College Group, which runs Lincoln College, Newark College and the Air & Space Institute, is joining forces with the University of Lincoln.

Officials want to make it easier to move between further and higher education and on to employment.

Mark Locking, the chief executive of Lincoln College Group, said the partnership would offer a clearer pathway for young people who are looking at a career in the defence industry.

The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding, which sets out their plans to work more closely across further and higher education, technical training, apprenticeships and research.

Locking said the first step would be to map out career pathways, showing students how they can build qualifications while working in the armed forces or the defence industry.

"If I join the armed forces doing this, or if I join a defence contractor doing that, these are the qualifications I can take while I'm in those roles," Locking explained.

"I think there's some really exciting opportunities around apprenticeships and how we could work together to give a broader offer and a more simplified offer for apprenticeships, research, innovation, and commercial training," he said.

Prof Neal Juster from the University of Lincoln said the collaboration would mean students could move through the institutions more easily with guided pathways.

"Most importantly, collectively between the university and the college, we'll work with employers to ensure that we understand what the skills needs are for the county," he said.

The university and college group said they had ambitions to widen the partnership across other sectors such as agriculture and health and care to support Greater Lincolnshire's long-term economic growth.

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