A HAMPSHIRE college has been recognised for how well it helps students engage with employers.

Fareham College has won the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon City & Guilds Award for Engagement with Employers.

The education hub was awarded for its aim to ensure future training and skills requirements for civil engineering and construction businesses in the Solent region and further afield are met.

An estimated £15 billion worth of construction-based development is planned in Hampshire alone over the next five years, although the sector is unable to meet its demand.

This skills shortage led to Fareham College and the Solent Civil Engineering Employer Group (SCEEG) working in collaboration to design a highly innovative Civil Engineering and Groundworks Training Initiative, which involves an apprenticeship programme.

“Employability is at the heart of the Fareham College mindset. Working together with employers to directly address a recognised sector challenge, through the development of a skilled workforce, is invaluable for our students, for our employers and for the local and regional economic development as a whole” says Andrew Kaye, Principal and Chief Executive at Fareham College.