College announces new construction centre plan

The scheme would be the latest boost for the town's growing Learning Quarter.

Dudley College has unveiled the proposals and it is hoped that it could be open to students within three years.

The new facility would include teaching and workshop areas and would see the college relocate its existing craft and trade skills workshops from its Mons Hill campus.

Education chiefs say the sector will be a key employment area in the region in the coming years.

Officials today revealed the scheme had been included as part of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership's bid for £56 million from the government's Local Growth Fund which will support projects across the region.

If successful, building work would begin on the new centre, called CABTech, in September 2015 with the centre open to students in Spring 2017.

It would include teaching and workshop facilities to train people in both traditional and new construction skills.

Under current plans the new centre would be built next to the Dudley Advance building, in Priory Road.

Dudley Advance is the college's new centre for Advanced Manufacturing an Engineering Technology which is due to open this Autumn.

Bosses say creating the two specialist centres on Priory Road is their preference as it will bring together skills development and facilities.

The new building will also allow the college to relocate its existing craft and trade skills workshops from its Mons Hill campus into the Learning Quarter.

The Local Enterprise Partnership's funding bid is to support the Black Country Strategic Economic Plan which aims to make the area a better place to love, learn skills, work and start a business.

Officials said securing funding from the government through the Local Growth Fund would see the college's investment in the town total £50 million.

Investment to date has funded a new vocational training centre and A level Centre alongside the refurbishment of an existing building into a sculptor workshop and the transformation of two residential properties into specialist centres for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Dudley College principal Lowell Williams said: "Our ambition to support the recovery of the construction industry in this country is driving this new addition to the Learning Quarter.

"With construction being recognised by the UK Government as one of the 10 key sectors driving economic recovery it's imperative that current and future workforces are trained and ready to meet the challenges the economic up-turn will bring.

"We are delighted our proposal has been submitted by the LEP and are currently working together on the next stage of the bid.

"Our plans to develop a centre that can provide modern and progressive training for an industry that has relied on traditional training routes and methods will help to increase employment across the sector."

Mr Williams said CABTech would be unique as it is designed to develop and expand training opportunities in advanced building and construction skills with an emphasis on Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies.

BIM technology is an intelligent 3D computer modelling process used by architects, construction professionals, designers and engineers to create a detailed model for new buildings.