College builds better future for its students (From Swindon Advertiser)

College builds better future for its students

7:00pm Monday 14th January 2013 in News

WORK is expected to start on a £2m building at Swindon College at the end of the month now that planning permission has been granted.

A construction centre is being built on a 1,000 sq m site in the college’s North Star campus, which is scheduled to be ready for the start of term in September.

The two-storey building will be used for teaching brickwork, plastering and tiling courses which are currently delivered off-site in facilities at Kembrey Park.

Vice principal Nick Letchet, who is leading the project, said: “This is something we have been planning for two or three years because our construction area of the college has grown considerably. Our plan has always been to move construction back to our main site because it has got all the other facilities students want when at college.

“There has been a lot of work in terms of planning for this and it is great to see it come to fruition.”

The building, which is being funded by the college itself, will be adjacent to the existing construction teaching and training facilities at North Star where plumbing and wood occupations are currently delivered.

Principal Andrew Miller said: “This is a really exciting development for the college and will enable us to further expand our construction provision and meet the needs of employers in both the short term and longer term.

“It is important our students are equipped with the right level of skills and expertise required by the construction sector in Swindon. It will also help to improve the student experience.”

There are currently 200 construction students at Swindon College in both Kembrey Park and in the existing construction facilities at North Star and it is expected that the new construction centre will accommodate up to 75 students at any one time.

“The centre will add to our state of the art construction facilities and help us to attract even more students who wish to pursue a career in the sector,” said Mr Miller.

The building has been designed by ADP Architects of Birmingham and the project is being managed by Ridge and Partners.

The college is in final negotiations with building contractors and it is envisaged that work will begin on the North Star campus by the end of January.