£77m college reaching to the sky

Sandwell College's new superstructure is progressing rapidly, with a large section of the fourth floor of the £77 million building now in place.

Parts of the concrete floor have now been put in place on the third, second, first and upper ground levels of the building in Spon Lane.

The lower ground floor has also been completed, including pits for the automotive department's equipment.

This will allow students from the college to work underneath cars once the new college opens.

Interserve project manager Mark Green said the building contractors are now preparing areas to start masonry works on the lower ground floor. Plans for transporting all items from the college's three existing campuses in West Bromwich High Street, Smethwick and Oldbury, are also being fine tuned.

Furniture, fittings and equipment contractors have been meeting automotive, construction and engineering teams to discuss final layouts for the new development and where everything will fit into place.

Contractor REDS10, which has successfully project managed the build of nine of the UK's new multi-million pound academies, will be masterminding the move.

Sandwell College has denied that the building project is under threat despite plans to axe 85 staff in a bid to cut costs.

Principal Val Bailey has stressed the new build is still "very much on track" for completion and the financing of the new college is totally separate from the funding for courses at the existing college.

The college will see the number of students increase from 6,000 next September when it moves into its new building in West Bromwich.

People have been watching the construction of the college on webcams online.

For the purposes of the building programme, contractor Interserve has divided the site into four areas and say construction work is on target.

The new college will cater for 10,000 students.