Skills hub opens to deliver Lower Thames Crossing

A member of the LTC youth ambassador forum; Cherie Leavy, skills, education and employment lead for the LTC, Lord Blunkett, and Lauren Sullivan, MP for Faversham, discussed what the new skills hub has to offer during the opening

A new construction skills hub has opened in Gravesend to help local people gain the skills needed to build the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) — one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects.

The 14.5-mile (23km) route, estimated to cost £10 billion, will connect Tilbury in Essex with Gravesend in Kent, improving transport links between the counties and easing congestion at the Dartford Crossing.

The National Highways-backed hub will provide free construction training, offering accredited qualifications and guaranteed job interviews for successful participants. The aim is to recruit around half of the LTC workforce from within 20 miles of the project, supporting local employment and skills development.

Lauren Sullivan, MP for Gravesham, welcomed the initiative, saying it was “only right that local people benefit first from the new jobs and training opportunities from the LTC project since it has the most impact on Gravesham and its residents.”

Lord David Blunkett, skills advisor for the project, said the hub would help tackle national construction skills shortages — with an estimated 35,000 vacancies currently across the sector.

“The LTC skills hub will strengthen the local supply chain while ensuring future construction projects can draw on a skilled, robust workforce,” he said.

Training will include hands-on experience with hydrogen-powered excavators and low-carbon materials such as concrete and steel, aligning with the UK’s drive for greener construction methods.

A second skills hub is also planned for Essex, further expanding opportunities for local people to gain practical training and long-term employment in the region’s growing infrastructure sector.