THE opening of a £12m engineering centre at Middlesbrough College could create up to 35 jobs.

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Centre will open its doors in September and is now recruiting an initial 26 roles including an operations manager, process/instrumentation centre leader, manufacturing centre leader, technical trainers/lecturers and support technicians.

The centre, which is being built by Esh Build, is part of a wider £20m investment in STEM facilities at the college which will specialise in advanced manufacturing, process oil and gas, digital technologies, warehousing and logistics and engineering disciplines.

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive, said: "The college is working with leading employers to ensure the centre offers training in the very latest techniques and processes and we need the right staff in place to deliver that."

Companies including Huntsman, Johnson Matthey, Lotte Chemical UK, Caterpillar UK, Tees Components, Sabic, Amec Foster Wheeler, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, PD Ports, NIFCO and Sembcorp Utilities are backing the centre.

It will replicate typical industrial environments and will include fully functional chemical and oil processes which will be monitored and operated from a high tech control room. A manufacturing facility includes a robotic controlled production line, supported by a warehousing and logistics training operation.