September start promised for Dudley college

A new multi-million pound sixth form centre in Dudley will be open in time to welcome hundreds of students this September, college bosses have promised.

More than 500 people have applied to study A-Levels at the £6million Dudley Sixth, which will be run by Dudley College in partnership with five town schools.

Although the two-storey centre, in Priory Road, looks far from completion, director of estates and capital projects, Steve Johnson, says it will be open come September.

He said: "The centre has to be open in time for the start of the next academic year and the enrolment of hundreds of new students.

"We have a tight schedule, but I'm confident everything will be ready and in place for teaching.

"The centre will provide students with a fit-for-purpose, first-class building where they can achieve their learning goals."

So far, the steel structure and stairways are complete and the brickwork is 95 per cent done.

The rooms are being plastered and fitted, while glass panelling is being installed on the outside of the building.

A decision made earlier this year to put waterproof wrapping around the building at a cost of £50,000 proved key.

The wrapping protected the building and the workers during the wet weather last month, saving four weeks of work. Mr Johnson said: "After we first put up the wrapping we thought we'd wasted the money because of the dry months earlier in the year.

"Then the rain poured last month and it proved key to keeping the project on time and ready for the students – we're very confident it will be open in time."

Money for Dudley Sixth and Evolve, the college new vocational training centre on Tower Street, has come from the sale of the college's Castle View campus, reserves, a small chunk of Government funding and a bank loan from Barclays bank.

College courses at the Castle View and Mons Hill sites will be shared between the college's other campuses, including the new £18 million Evolve campus which is also set to be open in September, and the current Broadway campus.