Leeds College of Building appoints director of CTEC
Natalie Dodds will take up the position at the Construction Technical Excellence College, as it prepares to expand its specialist training provision with a new 55,000 sq ft facility.
Dodds joins the college from Rotherham College, part of the RNN Group, where she was director of campus and led on quality, curriculum development, and strategic growth.
She was previously academy director for Building Technologies at The Sheffield College and is the current chair of the Yorkshire and Humber British Association of Construction Heads.
Her appointment comes as Leeds College of Building develops its role as the CTEC for Yorkshire and the Humber.
The college was among 10 specialist further education institutions across England awarded CTEC status for the 2025/26 academic year.
The government designation is intended to strengthen construction skills provision and support the delivery of 1.5m homes, major infrastructure projects, and the transition to net zero.
CTECs are expected to train up to 40,000 people by 2029 in areas including bricklaying, carpentry, roofing, and electrical work.
Leeds College of Building recently launched its regional CTEC network at an event at the Royal Armouries Museum, bringing together the college and 22 partner ‘spoke’ colleges.
The network’s plans include tackling barriers to entering the construction sector, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups, while also helping existing workers gain new skills and progress their careers.
Meanwhile, planning permission has been submitted for a new CTEC construction training facility next to the college’s North Street Campus.
The college acquired the former Vodafone site last November and plans to transform the existing building into a specialist training centre comprising workshops, classrooms and amenity areas for students and staff.
The 55,000 sq ft facility would increase the size of the Leeds College of Building estate by around a third and is intended to help meet demand for skilled construction and built environment professionals across the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Dodds has also worked with combined authorities, governance boards, industry partners and government departments during her career, delivering strategic priorities involving learners and employers.
Rob Holmes, LCB Vice Principal, said: “Natalie’s extensive leadership experience across further education and construction-related provision, together with her strong regional and national networks, make her exceptionally well placed to lead the next phase of CTEC’s development.
“As we move from planning into delivery, her expertise, vision, and ability to build effective partnerships will be instrumental in ensuring CTEC fulfils its ambition for both Leeds College of Building and the wider Yorkshire and Humber region.
“I am confident that Natalie will be a tremendous asset to the College and to CTEC as we enter this exciting new stage of implementation and growth.”
Dodds added: “This is an exciting opportunity to work on a government initiative at a regional level, so the work that we do with CTEC will impact not just students of Sheffield or Rotherham or Leeds, but the entirety of Yorkshire.
“Over the last three years I have worked on building relationships with other colleges through my work with the British Association of Construction Heads, so this role just felt right for me.
“I said in my interview that although my contract sits with LCB, I am working for all the construction departments in the region, and that really excites me.”
