THE future job prospects of the district’s young people were given a welcome boost last week, with the official opening of a new training centre at Alconbury.

Huntingdonshire Regional College has worked closely with enterprise zone developer Urban&Civic to launch the facility, which will train people in a wide range of construction-related jobs.

The development, which will be known as Alconbury Weald, will take up to 20 years to complete and its construction alone will provide jobs for 2,000 people.

College principal Susanne Stent said at the opening on Thursday: “It’s important for us to get this right so that it is local people who get those jobs.”

She said HRC would work with potential employers as they arrive on site to provide the training they need, so that prospective employees have the relevant skills and qualifications.

Apprenticeships and training in a wide range of careers would be available at the new campus, including forklift driving and electrical installation, which will be taught in the site’s specially-customised workshop.

Miss Stent said: “We have been working closely with Urban&Civic to find out who those employers are so that we can work closely with them to find the right apprentices for them.”

She said the college would expand with the development, offering more training opportunities as the site grows.