First floors handed over as Wolverhampton's £61 million City Learning Quarter nears completion

City of Wolverhampton College has taken possession of the first, second and third floors of the new City Learning Quarter in Garrick Street, along with the hair-and-beauty salon on the ground floor. They will now begin the final fit-out process ready to open to students in November.

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Constructor McLaughlin & Harvey is continuing works on the remainder of the ground floor, which will gradually be handed over to the college over the coming weeks.

Situated around the Old Hall Street and St George’s Parade area, including the former ABC cinema on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, the eye-catching development also incorporates the college's existing Metro One building.

Alongside improvements to the neighbouring Adult Education Wolverhampton and Central Library facilities, the £61 million scheme – supported by government funding - will establish new educational provision to boost skills and employment opportunities.

It will offer both A Levels and vocational qualifications in subjects including art, design and photography, business and management, catering and hospitality, and computer subjects. There will also be courses in creative media, games design and e-sports, as well as hair and beauty, health and social care, music technology, performing arts, and science.

It follows on from a new £8.1 million Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre at the college’s Wellington Road campus, formerly Bilston College,  which opened to students in September last year.

College principal Louise Fall said it was good to see the long-awaited vision for the city finally become a reality. 

"We’re excited to relocate courses from the outdated Paget Road site to this brand-new city centre location which will provide a vibrant and welcoming environment for students, apprentices, staff, employers and visitors alike," she said.

"The new campus will further strengthen the college’s position as a leading provider of further education and, with its excellent public transport links, will enable hundreds more people from across the region to access our excellent training facilities and develop the skills and knowledge they need for their future careers." 

Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills at Wolverhampton Council, said the new development would drive education and skills in the city, opening up new opportunities.

“The handover of the first floors to the college is the start of the final steps towards the council’s long-held vision of a learning quarter for everyone at the heart of our city becoming reality," he said.

“Over 10 years approximately 45,000 people will benefit from learning at the City Learning Quarter and around 7,500 apprenticeships will be started.

“It will also act as a focal point in the city centre, boosting footfall by 4,500 a week to support neighbouring businesses, especially with its excellent connectivity to rail, bus, tram and cycle routes.”

The news was welcomed by Wolverhampton West MP Warinder Juss, who said: “The development of the City Learning Quarter provides exciting opportunities not only for the students of the college, but also to help with the regeneration of the city centre.

“I am very excited about how close we are to this development being ready. It will have a significant positive impact on the city centre, and I cannot wait to see this work completed with students taking full benefit of this further education provision in the city, together with the footfall it will bring to the city centre and to its businesses.”

The plans were initially supported through council funding, with a further £49 million coming through UK Government funding.

The college's existing Paget Road site, formerly Wulfrun College, has been identified as suitable for housing.