IN PICTURES: Princess Royal officially opens £13.6 million work skills training centre at Stainless Metalcraft in Chatteris

The Princess Royal being introduced by Dr Nikos Savvas to Elton D’Souza-Chairman of Governors– Eastern Education Group) and Austen Adams-Chair of The North Cambridgeshire Development Board

Princess Anne has officially opened a £13.6 million apprentice training centre at a Chatteris company.

The Princess Royal was guest of honour at Stainless Metalcraft to declare open the state-of-the-art North Cambridgeshire Training Centre.

It will be run by the Eastern Education Group to support people of all ages to acquire new skills to strengthen their career prospects and contribute to the region.

Dr Nikos Savvas (CEO of the Eastern Education Group), The Princess Royal and Laraine Moody (Eastern Education Group)

The Princess Royal was given a tour of the facilities by the Group Principal of University and Professional Development at the Eastern Education Group, Laraine Moody.

She also took the chance to chat to current engineering apprentices, lecturers and programme leaders and local school children taking part in the Skills Escalator programme jointly with local businesses.

She met with Dr Nikos Savvas, chief executive of the Eastern Education Group along with staff and students.

Princess Anne also unveiled a commemorative plaque in honour of the visit.

Dr Nikos Savvas (CEO of the Eastern Education Group), The Princess Royal and Laraine Moody

Dr Savvas said: “It is such an honour to have the Princess Royal with us to celebrate the opening of the North Cambridgeshire Training Centre.

"The centre will serve as an incredibly important place in the community, equipping the upcoming generations with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in their careers, contributing significantly to the local economy’s growth.”

The Princess Royal also met apprentices and staff from Stainless Metalcraft including, Austen Adams, Chairman of the North Cambridgeshire Place Development Board and divisional managing director of Avingtrans PLC’s Process Solutions and Rotating Equipment division, which is home to Stainless Metalcraft. Mr Adams said: “We were thrilled to welcome Princess Anne to Chatteris.

"The centre was created to address a gap in vocational training provision in Fenland and wider Cambridgeshire and aims to build on our heritage creating pathways into rewarding careers in engineering by opening up opportunities for local people to up-skill for careers across a variety of growth industries.”