This month we caught up with Team Lincoln veteran Nick Pettit, Head of Estate Development at Lincoln College.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone else in the county who champions bringing young people and industry together as much as Nick. He is a true advocate of businesses! Supporting young people and bringing the two together to provide a career path and guidance for our next generation, and talent, energy and inspiration to companies.

In his current role Nick oversees and delivers all of the Lincoln College Group’s construction projects from procurement to handover, developing and increasing the College’s facilities and creating an enhanced learning experience for students and staff alike.

Lincoln College actually has three campuses: Lincoln, Newark and Gainsborough. Nick is currently overseeing some incredible projects, which will position the College Group as one of the most innovative HE and FE organisations in the Midlands. Here is just a snapshot -

Work on the Gibney project – the new Institute of Technology at Lincoln College, is well underway ahead of its opening in the autumn 2021. It was allocated £1.67 million from Central Government, and in addition, the Greater Lincolnshire LEP provided £2.3 million for the Professional Skills Centre courses which will be housed in the building. It will also house ‘The Lincoln Business Centre’ – a community facility for new start-ups and businesses to use as a hub for meetings/training or just to engage with like-minded entrepreneurs.

One of the College’s most exciting projects on the horizon is the remarkable ‘International Air and Space Training Institute’ (IASTI). Lincoln College Group is leading an exciting collaboration to develop the Institute which will be the first of its kind in the UK. It hopes to bid for a share of the £3.6bn Towns Fund, and if successful will build the state of the art facility in Newark. Building on the success of its Air and Defence College, Lincoln College Group will work with industry partners such as Aviation 360, to create an environment which will transform the way pilots, engineers and ground staff are trained to meet the needs of the aviation industry. Team Lincolnshire ambassadors Banks Long & Co and Couch Perry Wilkes are also working with Nick to progress the scheme.

Lincoln College has also recently acquired one of Lincolnshire’s best loved cultural venues – Lincoln Drill Hall. Facing an uncertain future the College will now preserve this iconic venue and help sustain arts and culture within the city. Nick is working with fellow ambassadors Lindum to rejuvenate the much loved building and bring back live theatre/music and events once again.

It is clear that creating an inspiring learning experience and ensuring students are ‘employer ready’, is at the heart of everything Lincoln College does. Therefore it is obvious why someone with as much dedication to bringing the most out of young people such as Nick, fits so well into its inspiring team. And Nick uses his peers within Team Lincolnshire to help support the students, working with the likes of Viridis and BSP.

Nick is also an advocate of Abbey Access Training, aligning many employers within construction with its students.  Abbey Access Training provides the qualifications, knowledge and employment skills needed within the local community.  The Centre runs a course of training designed to improve people’s skills and enhance their chances of success in the job market. Abbey Access Training has successfully helped people gain employment, even in recent difficult times. Over 5000 people have found work again through their supported employment skills programme.

He is also a champion of the government’s Kickstart Scheme, which helps employers by providing funding create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds. Nick enthuses about the scheme and has been blown away by the talent and energy the young people he has worked with via the scheme have bought to his work place!

It is clear that ‘Keeping it Local’ is everything to Nick, and his sterling work is bringing huge benefits to both businesses and the community alike.  

If you would like to get involved in supporting Lincoln College please visit https://www.lincolncollege.ac.uk/