The Home Office has shifted the training focus at the college’s Hawkshill site to meet the demands of national security since it took ownership. Originally opened to train those responsible for managing German gas attacks in the UK, the site has gone on to deal with the Cold War, the King’s Cross fire and the Hillsborough disaster.
The College offers a wide range of modules, covering emergency planning and management, risk, business continuity, crisis leadership, control of sport and entertainment events, and public safety.
The Duke spent an hour at the internationally-renowned civil protection training facility, which trains around 7,000 people every year in all aspects of civil protection from business continuity to public safety at major entertainment events.
After meeting Mrs Susan Thorn- a library assistant at the College who is the third generation of her family to have worked at Hawkhills- The Duke also had the opportunity to see students undertaking one of the college’s 50 training units.
