Students studying for construction courses at City of Wolverhampton College will get the chance to work on an extension to their own training facilities, thanks to a partnership with a local building company.
The college has awarded the contract for a £1.7million extension to its Construction Innovation Centre, on the Wellington Road campus, to Interclass Plc which provides new build, design and build, and extension and refurbishment services to the public and private sectors.
The new area, which is due to open in September 2022, will feature dedicated purpose-built electrical, plumbing and gas training workshops and will be developed with funding from the Department of Education’s Post-16 capacity fund.
Pete Merry, vice principal for business success at the college, said: “The college is a committed partner of the Wolverhampton Pound – a pledge by major local public sector organisations to keep spending power in the local area –and I am delighted that Interclass has been awarded the contract as it is an opportunity for us to invest in a thriving local business and for the company to invest in local skills for local people.
“Work experience is an important part of all of our courses, and for our construction students to get the chance to work on the extension alongside Interclass employees who have been in the industry for many years is a fantastic opportunity for them all.”
Des O’Neill, managing director at Interclass, said: “We are really proud of our local roots and are delighted that we can support the college and the construction workforce of the future which, in turn, will help more local people secure jobs in the industry.”
The project was procured through Constructing West Midlands, a publicly owned and managed framework which has a 16-year track record in the delivery of public and third sector projects.
Get details of construction courses offered by the college here
