Work on Cornwall鈥檚 拢6.3m 鈥渟hovel-ready鈥 STEM centre is due to be completed by Spring 2022
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Health Skills Centre for North and East Cornwall is being built in Bodmin by Truro and Penwith College and is designed to train the aerospace, space, creative, energy, mining and health sector workers of tomorrow.
The project, on which work started in February 2021, is being supported by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which is meeting 拢3.78m of the costs through the Government鈥檚 Getting Building Fund (GBF) for 鈥渟hovel-ready鈥 projects.
South West construction stories
Representatives from the LEP, accompanied by North Cornwall MP Scott Mann, have toured the site where contractor Midas expects to complete the installation of the roof in the next few weeks, paving the way for the fit out of facilities.
The new centre, called the Ottery building, will initially offer a range of programmes aimed at meeting the needs of the engineering, manufacturing, digital and health sectors. This will include access courses aimed at adults wanting to enter higher education and retrain for high-skilled careers.
The 1,918sq m centre will train more than 300 people a year, with in excess of 120 learners on apprenticeships and T-Level qualifications, and support 150 businesses in the next five years.
Truro and Penwith College is working closely with local employers and business groups to make sure the courses on offer match what industry needs.
Neil O鈥橞rien, minister for levelling up, the union and constitution, said: 鈥淐ornwall is central to our plans for levelling up. Backed by more than 拢3.7m from the Government鈥檚 Getting Building Fund, this state-of-the-art STEM and healthcare training facility will provide unique opportunities for people in Cornwall 鈥 helping them step up the career ladder and secure good quality jobs.
鈥淎s we level up communities every corner of the United Kingdom, we are investing in ambitious local projects like this, which provide opportunity, boost local economies and help communities build back better from the pandemic.鈥
Mr Mann said: 鈥淭he STEM and Health Skills Centre will benefit businesses, communities and individuals across North Cornwall, and it was great to see such progress during our site visit. Cornwall needs first-class facilities like these to stay competitive and give local people more opportunities, and investment from the Government鈥檚 Getting Building Fund is making that happen.
鈥淭his is a 海角视频 leading facility right here in North Cornwall. It has the potential to change life chances for our children here. I am proud to support it.鈥
Frances Brennan, chair of the LEP鈥檚 Employment and Skills Board, said: 鈥淭his is a major strategic investment in skills to support new and growing areas of Cornwall鈥檚 economy, in line with our Local Industrial Strategy and post-Covid recovery priorities.
鈥淎dult learning is a particular focus because we want to harness the experience and skills of older workers who may find themselves out of work and needing to reskill for a change in career.鈥
Martin Tucker, principal of Truro and Penwith College, said: 鈥淭he centre aims to create a truly collaborative environment where local employers and the college work together to produce the future workforce needed to achieve Cornwall鈥檚 ambitions, which is why we are ensuring significant employer involvement in programme design and delivery, and are already working with the likes of Cornwall Manufacturing Group and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.鈥
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The STEM and Health Skills Centre will offer a wide range of courses including: apprenticeships, including degree level apprenticeships; T-Levels including engineering courses new for 2022; Level 4 and 5 technical qualifications, and access courses. The centre hopes to offer newly approved Higher Technical Qualifications, with programmes currently undergoing Institute of Apprenticeship and Technical Education approval.
Planned full-time courses range from software developer and network engineer apprentice, to degree apprenticeships in adult and mental health, to higher national certificate (HNC) and higher national diploma (HND) in mechanical engineering. The centre will house facilities including engineering workshops, a health simulation suite, digital labs and a conference and meeting facility, enabling the delivery of industry CPD courses, collaboration events and joint research projects.
