Press Release

Laura Moffatt, MP for Crawley, yesterday opened the new Gatwick Skills Centre facilities at Gatwick Airport. Laura was joined by Andrew McCallum, Head of Communications, Gatwick Airport; Russell Strutt, Principal Central Sussex College and Caroline Wood, Deputy Area Director of Sussex for SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency which provided financial support in the initial stages.

Originally opened in January 2006, the Gatwick Skills Centre is a joint venture between Gatwick Airport Limited and Central Sussex College, providing relevant and cost effective training and skills development opportunities for Gatwick businesses. The centre has been so successful that an expansion programme was approved in October 2007 to meet the growing demand. As part of this expansion, the 'Landing Zone' was opened in March 2008 providing a shop window to attract new learners and offer IT facilities for online training and job search. The next stage of the expansion was the development of new accommodation on the ground floor of Ashdown House, providing two additional training rooms, office space, and break-out and job search areas.

"Gatwick Airport is in the heart of our community, and people are at the heart of Gatwick," Laura Moffatt said. “Providing training and development to ensure we have the right skills at the airport today, and for the future, the Skills Centre underpins Gatwick’s commitment to be a great place to work as well as a vital contributor to the local, regional and national economy.”

The new facilities will provide much needed accommodation for the growing numbers of learners joining the 650 who have already benefited from the Gatwick Skills Centre. A new agreement was signed by Gatwick Airport Limited and Central Sussex College to run the Gatwick Skills Centre for the next five years, with the facilities being provided by Gatwick Airport Limited and the services by Central Sussex College.

“People are the most important asset to businesses across the airport,” Andrew McCallum, Head of Communications, London Gatwick Airport said. “London Gatwick Airport remains committed to the recruitment and retention of high quality, skilled staff and the Gatwick Skills Centre supports that commitment.”

Russell Strutt, Principal Central Sussex College said: “Central Sussex College has a long and well established tradition of working with employers to develop training solutions to meet their skill needs. The Gatwick Skills Centre has enabled us to take learning out into the Gatwick community and provide flexible solutions which fit the environment. We are grateful for the obvious commitment shown by Gatwick Airport in the signing of an additional five year agreement for the new centre.”

Caroline Wood, SEEDA Deputy Area Director of Sussex, said; “SEEDA is delighted to have been involved with this project since its inception and looks forward to supporting its continuing success across the Gatwick Diamond. Skills are critical if the area is to succeed in attracting and retaining high value business and retaining a competitive economy. The Gatwick Skill Centre can play a critical role in encouraging individuals and businesses to invest in skills and training.”