Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy hosts Business breakfast event

Sunderland College’s Housing and Innovation Construction Skills Academy (HICSA) recently hosted a business breakfast for local employers in the region.

The event provided an opportunity for an industry insight, networking, presentations and a tour of the newly opened campus. It also presented an insight into the current construction workforce as well as the opportunities for collaboration and to bridge the gap between training and employment.

Peter Robertson, Head of Business Development at Education Partnership North East said: “It was great to see a mix of many employers at the event today and it was great to hear lots of positive comments on HICSA.”

A range of employers were invited to the college to see facilities, get introductions to staff and for the college to share the mission and vision – to provide clear pathways into sustained employment, training and upskilling opportunities for students, adult learners and existing workforce.

Employers in attendance consisted of Gentoo, Bernicia, Believe Housing, CEI-BOIS, Nissan, Home Group, Connect Northumberland, Sunderland City Council, Constructing Excellence in the North East, Chartered Institute of Builders, Newcastle City Council, MGL Group, and Bowmer + Kirkland, among others.

Helen Stubbs, Workforce Sustainability Officer, Smart Cities and Enabling Services, Sunderland City Council said: “It was lovely to come along and see this new fantastic building. I look forward to working with the college.”

Nik Welsh, Executive Director of Communities and Customer Services, Believe Housing and Chair of CENE said: “It was fabulous to hear the ambition from the staff at HICSA and yes we would love to get involved more, so surely we must have some synergy between the two organisations.”

HICSA is a pioneering purpose-built gateway for housing and construction skills, developed in close partnership with Sunderland City Council, which opened in September 2025. The ground-breaking facility is set to educate, train and upskill local people to create innovative, factory-built new homes. Backed by Homes England and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, HICSA will provide the skills pipeline for the constructions industries and its subsectors.

Focusing on providing industry-standard training in modern construction techniques, low-carbon technologies and Skills England priorities, its curriculum will align with the city’s long-term ambitions to lead the way in building the sustainable, eco-friendly and affordable homes of tomorrow.

In 2025, the Department for Education (DfE), named Sunderland College as one of 10 national CTECs. Based at HICSA, the North East CTEC serves as the region’s hub for innovation and excellence in construction skills, bringing together colleges, universities, training providers, schools, employers, and key stakeholders.

CTECs will each serve as regional hubs specialising in construction training, working with providers, raising industry standards, addressing skills shortages and driving economic growth. This has far reaching benefits, with those in the Tees Valley able to access new study routes such as architecture pathways through Hartlepool Sixth Form and innovative partnership with Northumbria University.