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First glimpse inside £12m Dudley College block

These images reveal the first look inside of the new £12m Advance II construction centre at a Black Country college.

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Now nearing the final months of completion it shows the inside of the steel-framed structure taking shape at Dudley College.

The building work is set to be completed by June and has already secured 80 apprentices. It will be the first of its kind specialising in the latest construction techniques, technology and off-site fabrication.

College principal Lowell Williams said: "This is ground-breaking innovation that we are at the forefront of.

"We need to train people who are working in construction as if they are digital engineers.

"We will be the first building in the country offering that on a large scale using brand new apprentice standards.

"It is also the biggest skills project that the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership have funded."

The new 37,000 square feet building will include workshops, classrooms and support facilities around a four-storey building called The Hanger.

There will also be a digital centre and other facilities include a carbon-friendly technology centre.

Mr Williams continued: "We have had a lot of support to make this happen.

"This is a once in a lifetime project for the Black Country.

"We currently have a 3D map of the site. You can go into the control room and put on a helmet and look around it as you were in and peel away the layers. It really is like something out of a sci-fi movie.

"As the construction industry modernise's it will create many more manufacturing jobs. This is a real opportunity. We have already secured about 80 apprentices - this is a once in a generation project."

At the start of this year, it was also revealed that the college were going to be at the forefront at sponsoring the Dudley Academies Trust.

They will plough about half a million pounds into the trust to kick start the process, which will bring together Castle High School, Hillcrest School and Community College, Holly Hall Academy and High Arcal School so that they can to share resources and expertise.

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