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( Last Updated: 08-08-2007 )
A new state-of-the-art learning centre at Cornwall College will provide specialist workshops for students learning a trade.
Construction firm Midas has begun work on the £2 million project at John Keay House in St Austell to build a 2,000m² Skills Centre.
The centre will be used by the 900 students at the college who undertake Automotive, Engineering and Construction Skills vocational training courses.
The finished complex will comprise two buildings constructed from steel and rendered block. One will house workshops for the ‘trowel trades’ such as plastering and bricklaying, while the other will be a dedicated vehicle workshop, incorporating a welding workshop. The centre will also have a second floor of classrooms and workshops for electrical and plumbing courses.
Construction of the Skills Centre is the fourth phase in a multi-million-pound development programme undertaken by Cornwall College to improve facilities for local young people in further education. Phases two and three, which were also carried out by Midas, included a new 6th form centre and the extension of the Learning Centre, teaching and conference facilities.
John Latham, Principal of Cornwall College, said: “We are delighted to welcome Midas back onto our campus for the next phase of the new-build programme. Cornwall College has seen substantial student growth in vocational areas such as Construction, Motor Vehicle and Engineering and we are investing heavily in buildings and resources.
“Employers need staff with transferable skills and who are trained to the standard demanded by their industry. Cornwall College is committed to providing students with these skills, and the new Skills Centre will be testament to effective working with staff and employers to meet this need.”
The project is being run by Midas’s Cornwall division, also based in St Austell. The management team is headed up by Senior Project Manager Darren Rundle, who will oversee an on-site team of 45. It is estimated that the Skills Centre will take 35 weeks to build and be ready in time for the 2008 academic year.