Selby College in North Yorkshire and Drax will develop the UK’s first educational program in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies that will launch next year.
The new tailored carbon capture training course will aim to help Drax workforce and other individuals and organizations develop the skills they need in order to use and operate new technologies that could potentially help businesses cut emissions.
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Selby College and energy company Drax also managed to secure more than £270,000 of funding from the Department for Education’s Strategic Development Fund to build up the program. It builds on an existing £180,000 five-year partnership between the organizations aimed at supporting education and skills.
The training course is expected to support Drax’s plans to develop bioenergy and carbon capture and storage technology (BECCS) at its power station near Selby. It will equip Drax’s employees with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience, to operate the emissions reduction technology.
“It’s critical businesses like Drax have access to a skilled workforce, with the knowledge and expertise to operate negative emissions technologies that will be vital in enabling the UK to reach its legally binding net zero targets,” said Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director at Drax.
Other universities have also shown commitment towards introducing carbon capture and storage technology to their students. The University of Edinburgh has launched an online course on CCS in 2018 that has gained popularity over the years.
Relevant: University Of Edinburgh Offers CCS Online Course During COP26
Since its launch, it has attracted over 18,000 participants from all around the world, allowing students to learn about the science behind carbon capture technology. The course marked its fifth run on October 25th, 2021 just weeks before the COP26 Conference.
