Work has started on the former Fabricom ENGIE site on Kings Road, Immingham, which will be the home of Modal Training Limited, the UK’s first multimodal training organisation.

The new £7million centre of excellence for the ports, energy and logistics sectors will be located in the existing 5,696 m2 facility, with the design phase of the project now in progress. The external works programme, which will involve updating the building’s façade and installing a new roof, has now started.

The internal fit-out is expected to begin in the coming weeks. This will include the learning resource centre, with its ICT suite, classrooms and seminar and conference facilities, followed by the installation of state-of-the-art simulators for training maritime crew, truck and crane drivers, as well as a live rail track centre. It will also include warehouse operational training and working at height training to support the renewables and energy sectors in the region.

The works will be project managed by ENGIE’s professional technical services team based in Grimsby, who are part of the North East Lincolnshire Regeneration Partnership with the Council.

Patrick Henry, CEO of Modal Training, said:

We are excited that our plans for Modal Training are starting to come to fruition, after months of planning. We are currently in the design phase and have made a start on the external works programme. This will bring the building up to a high standard to deliver our training and will create a strong visual presence in Immingham.

To document the development, we installed a timelapse camera as soon as the scaffolding started to go up. We are looking forward to pressing ahead and seeing its progress in the coming months.

Neill Shipley, Corporate Services Director at Fabricom ENGIE, commented:

The Kings Road site has served our business well for many years and we are delighted that it will be brought to life once again thanks to the investment from the Grimsby Institute Group. With our UK CEO Nigel Carlton on the board of Modal Training, we are committed to supporting this new venture and will be involved in the external construction works and providing a design service.

The most important factor for us isn’t so much the site itself, but the impact this new resource will have on shaping future of Immingham, as well as the industries it will serve.

Much like Fabricom ENGIE in previous years, this facility will support both employment in the region and our strong engineering and offshore sectors for generations to come.”

Marcus Asquith, Deputy Partnership Director at ENGIE, added:

We are delighted to be a part of this exciting project which, once completed, will see a unique and state-of-the-art training facility that will prepare people with the skills required to move into successful careers in the logistics industry which forms a pivotal part of the community in the North East Lincolnshire.

Jointly funded by the Grimsby Institute and the Humber LEP, Modal Training will offer integrated, multimodal logistics training for sea, road, rail and air, as well as a full range of support services. It will deliver realistic training, replicating the working environment, in a wide range of settings. Facilities will include extensive warehousing, engineering and rail safety teaching facilities, and the UK’s only Freight Forwarding Academy.

The centre is on schedule for completion and full operation in September 2016.