Wind turbine plant: a goldmine for Hull's jobless?

The facility planned for Alexandra Dock is expected to take 18 months to build

The future arrival of a major wind turbine manufacturing plant in Hull is being hailed as a golden opportunity to get thousands of people back into work.

But with one in five 16 to 24-year-olds jobless across the UK, do people in the city have the right skills and education to share in the jackpot?

It has been described as the biggest economic boost to the region in generations: a giant factory that will produce thousands of wind turbines, based on Hull's Alexandra Dock.

Known as the Greenport development, it is estimated between 700 and 1,000 jobs could be created by the time the factory is built by 2014. In the long-term, the new industry could generate around 10,000 jobs across all sectors from engineering to legal services.

The news is music to the ears of many at a time when the unemployment rate in Hull is the third highest in the country. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 13,060, or 7.3% of the city's population, claim Jobseeker's Allowance.

Three wind farms off the North Sea are expected to be up and running by 2020

John Butterick, manager of the Children's University, which aims to promote aspirations and achievements among seven to 14-year-olds in Hull, is among the many excited to hear the announcement.

"I can go out there and say to the kids: yes there's hope for the city now, there's hope for you guys; with all the talents and skills that you have.

"There's a lot of talent and a lot of untapped skill out there and hopefully with this investment, not just the construction industry but the manufacturing, the maintenance, the renewable and refurbishment of this development will mean jobs for decades to generations to come."

David Street is an employment consultant at City Works in Hull helping job seekers to find employment. The last three months have been the busiest so far with over 20,000 unemployed citizens dropping into their 'job shop' premises.

David Street: "There'll be fantastic opportunities for people in the city"

"There are [people with] a number of skills available that will assist in implementing the infrastructure that needs to be in place for the new development," he said.

"Longer-term, if you were looking at the specific skills that are likely to be needed within the manufacturing sector and the renewable industry - that potentially is still a little way ahead from where we are today.

"And that really is an opportunity for the educational establishments and training organisations to take the workforce of tomorrow and skill them for those specific needs."

Hull College and the University of Hull have been backing the city's bid to secure the new development and are looking to ensure the right skills are available in the region.

"I think we're in a good position. I think there's a workforce available," said Professor Stephanie Hayward, the director of the Centre for Adaptive Science and Sustainability at the university.

"The challenge for the region is to make sure that we don't only get the low skilled jobs and that we also play a part in - and this is a challenge for the university as well - getting the higher skilled jobs in design, research, and project management; that we get the whole spectrum brought to the region."