The leader of Dover District Council smiles as he observes cranes towering above parts of the town.

“A few years ago I said when we get to this stage, it’s the mark of success,” said Cllr Paul Watkins, referring to the building work at the St James retail and leisure development.

It is soon to be the site of a six-screen Cineworld, 108-bed Travelodge, M&S Simply Food store and a range of other retail units, creating 580 jobs.

The proposition was so attractive, financial services group Legal & General committed to invest £53 million to bring the project to fruition.

Yet new problems are on the horizon thanks to the regeneration of this once ugly part of Dover, formerly the site of its eyesore Burlington House tower block, which was knocked down this year.

From 2012 to 2015, more than 2,000 jobs were created in the Dover district. A report commissioned by the town’s business forum forecasts another 4,600 job vacancies will be created in the area by 2030.

This is thanks to plans to build 10,000 homes by 2026, the expansion of the Port of Dover’s Western Docks and more hi-tech companies moving to science hub Discovery Park, among many other regenerative schemes.

The council wants local people to fill the new jobs created, but at present there are question marks over their ability to do so.

Cllr Watkins said: “The local unemployment rate in east Kent is high and we need to motivate kids into training schemes that are going to deliver high-quality jobs.

“A lot of these jobs will give specific training in the construction trade, scientific industries and so on. We have those job opportunities in the area and we would like to fill them with local employees.

“We don’t want to be importing employees. We want to locally be able to consume our own smoke and make sure our community get the benefits of this regeneration.”

Part of the solution is events like its Skills 4 Dover expo, held in the town hall last month, which invites school pupils to meet local employers.

However, Graham Razey, principal of East Kent College, said the town needed to be able to offer more incentives for young people to stay and work where they grew up.

He said: “It has got to be a great place to live. It has got to be a great place to bring up a family. It has got to be somewhere you can build your career and it has got to have accessibility. Over the last five years in Dover all of those things have come together.

“We are getting better housing, regeneration of the town centre and real career opportunities in businesses.

“Young people are starting to see the whole package coming together. These visions and strategies for Dover were there 20 years ago, but it has taken time.”

The college says the picture is improving, with the number of apprenticeship starts at its campus in Dover up fivefold in the last 12 months.

Mr Razey said: “We are delighted with the increase. Young people are seeing real opportunity and for the next three to five years we are going to see a real explosion of apprentices in Dover.”

Princess Anne visited a new marine survival complex that will train people for seafaring industries.

The Princess Royal spent almost an hour at the Maritime Skills Academy at Whitfield, Dover, which was formally opened two months ago.

The royal guest visited the centre’s practice pool and saw survival swimming practice complete with overturned life rafts and met Dover Water Sports Centre’s youth sailing group.

The centre aims to capitalise on more than 600 jobs set to be created as part of the Port of Dover’s investment in reviving its Western Docks.

Cllr Paul Watkins, district council leader, says it will help keep skilled workers in town.

“In the maritime sector, there are opportunities.

“We don’t have skills training facilities. Local people who want to go into the seafaring trade are having to go away to learn.

"We want to bring those back locally and make sure those employees stay here.”