Wolverhampton College extends with £540k grant

The City of Wolverhampton College has been awarded £540,000 to develop its Construction Innovation Centre, based at its Wellington Road campus.

The grant will fund a new purpose-built bricklaying area, as well as workshops for plastering, tiling and dry wall insulation at the 1,350sq m centre.

It comes after the college saw an increase in the number of students studying construction in recent years.

The number of 16 to 18-year-olds enrolling on construction courses is up by 18 per cent this year.

College bosses say applications for courses starting the autumn are up by more than 50 per cent and the college is expanding to help people in the city develop the skills they need to get jobs.

Mark Robertson, principal at the college, said they are delighted at securing the cash.

"We are delighted with the grant we have received which will enable us to extend our facilities and to support even more people of the area to obtain the skills they need to have great careers," he said.

"The college is building rapidly upon its strong and growing links with large and small employers to become the first choice college for people who are looking to develop their careers and to develop the skills they need to get great jobs."

The grant has come from the Skills Funding Agency, who have funds to further education colleges to who want to improve their facilities.

The College's Construction Innovation Centre opened in 2009.

Katie Swann, a spokeswoman for the college, said: "There are currently skills shortages in high value manufacturing and it is hoped that the expansion of equipment enabled by this new building will help address those training needs.

"This is on top of a growing demand for training in plastering, tiling and dry wall insulation which the college will be able to supply through this extension."