COLLEGE TAKES POSSESSION OF BRAND NEW HE CENTRE
| Published: 2nd April 2007 10:40 |
Tamworth & Lichfield College has been handed the keys to its new Higher Education Centre following the completion of major construction work over the last 12 months.
The HE Centre is a two storey building adjacent to the college's Technology Centre, and is intended to house all higher education courses as well as specialist courses linked to the college's status as a Centre of Vocational Excellence in Business and Professional Services.
The £450,000 building will be Tamworth's first dedicated centre of higher education, and was described by College Principal Ann Neville as an extremely valuable addition to the college's facilities. "We are delighted to have this new building on the Tamworth Campus and we will be putting it at the disposal of local businesses and students who want to improve their skills and qualifications by enrolling in higher level courses in a local setting. It is an excellent building and we are currently equipping it throughout so that it is ready to accept our first intake of students at the earliest possible opportunity," she said.
Run in partnership with Staffordshire University, the centre's higher education courses will be delivered on the first floor of the building and will include a new Foundation Degree in Technology.
Head of Technology Gary Hayward said, "This is all part of our expansion of technology courses, working in partnership with local businesses to ensure today's young people are able to access the right kind of training for tomorrow's technology marketplaces. Our higher education options are very important in this respect because they allow local students to train to a high level without having to travel to a remote university, or taking on extra accommodation and living costs."
The centre has been part-funded by the Learning & Skills Council as a key element of a three year project launched when Tamworth & Lichfield College won accreditation as a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Business and Professional Services, in 2005.
The ground floor of the new building is designed in a flexible, open plan format to allow a wide range of uses and CoVE courses to take place, including individual classes, business conferences and one-off group training days. Courses will be based around management and professional skills, including ILEX courses for the legal sector, marketing and leadership courses.
The business and professional services sector is experiencing an identified skills shortage in the West Midlands and the college anticipates the new centre will provide an opportunity for local businesses to build the skills they need to drive forward the local economy.
Head of CoVE Sarah Morris said, "The business and professional sector in this area is vibrant, and Tamworth & Lichfield College is well placed to provide a wide range of highly regarded training courses from introductory level right through to Level 5. We are delighted that this new building will soon be open and are looking forward to working with as many local businesses as possible."
The building was constructed by Harper Group Construction of Rowley Regis.
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