South Staffordshire College to open rural enterprise academy

A new academy teaching agricultural and environmental studies will open at South Staffordshire College next year in a bid to boost practical skills.

Bosses at the Department of Education gave the Rodbaston Campus in Penkridge the go-ahead to establish The Rural Enterprise Academy, which will open in September next year.

College principal Graham Morley said the bid had been put forward in "direct response" to demand from both parents and the industry at large.

"We are absolutely delighted by this news which endorses the quality of learning available at our college," he said. "It also underlines the opportunities in the rural sector available to the young people studying at Rodbaston.

"The Rural Enterprise Academy will provide a powerful combination of academic and practical skills to equip more youngsters for the workplace and help secure their future."

The new academy will cater for teenagers aged between 14 and 19.