Membership-led industrial training organisation CATCH has broken ground on the latest phase of its expansion.
Our CEO, Simon Green, attended a special ceremony on Friday 27th June, as construction work got underway to expand CATCH’s head office and conference block.
The expansion will house a new central atrium, lecture theatre, event and breakout space, an AR/VR suite and an investor suite.
Humber Freeport has provided £4.5m of seed capital funding to CATCH to support a broad expansion programme, unlocking significant private sector backing from organisations including Phillips 66, Harbour Energy, Drax Group and Associated British Ports (ABP).
Simon Green, CEO of Humber Freeport, said: “Alongside driving investment through our tax sites, Humber Freeport launched with three key focuses – innovation, decarbonisation and skills.
“CATCH’s expansion, supported by significant private sector investment, will advance the region’s capabilities in all of those areas, creating a talent pool for employers to tap into and ensuring our region has the skilled people it needs to unlock growth.”
The expansion, supported by public and private place-based investment, will lead and build on initiatives and projects to build academic partnerships, STEM careers and educational outreach.
Simon Green, CEO of Humber Freeport, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.
It will also support the reskilling and upskilling of people employed, or seeking employment, in the Humber industrial cluster where new jobs are being created for the clean power industries and through deployment of new technologies in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.
Katie Hedges, Chief Strategy Officer at CATCH, said: “Located at the heart of the UK’s largest industrial cluster, our new centre will play a vital role in accelerating the Humber’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
“By supporting our members and investors, nurturing clean growth businesses, and strengthening our ties with local universities, this facility will not only deliver business support but also create skilled jobs, support supply chain development, and inspire the next generation of industry leaders across our industrial communities.”
Separately, CATCH has also had plans approved for a new Industrial Decarbonisation Centre and a Renewable Energy Training Centre, both set to officially open in early 2026.
David Talbot, CEO of CATCH.
These new facilities will further strengthen CATCH’s position as a leading hub for skills training and development in the region.
As industries move towards the clean power mission, the two centres will equip the current and future workforce with the skills required for the evolving sector.
Mr Green said: “The Government recently published its Industrial Strategy, and within it, made one thing very clear – the clean energy transition is the economic opportunity of the 21st century.
“As the pre-eminent energy cluster in north west Europe, the scale of opportunity we have in the Humber to drive the UK’s green industrial revolution is enormous.
“Humber Freeport is pleased to be supporting CATCH with its ambitious expansion, as we continue to work closely with the organisation and its industrial partners to understand how freeport status can act as a powerful tool to help the Humber achieve its strategic objectives.”
CATCH’s expansion is backed by private sector partners Phillips 66 Limited, Harbour Energy, Drax Group and Associated British Ports (ABP), plus Air Products and Uniper alongside funding from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).
