Oldham College submits plans for £9m construction centre

The college has put forward plans to build a 25,200 sq ft construction centre at its Rochdale Road campus, designed by AHR and due to be delivered by Willmott Dixon.

The two-storey centre will include teaching space for technical trades and professional skills in construction, including project management, facilities management, and surveying.

There will also be workspace for practical plumbing and electrical teaching, testing areas, classrooms, offices, and mobile workbenches, while the site will also include external areas for joinery and brickwork.

The £9m project is funded via a £7m grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and the remainder from Oldham College’s capital funding.

Subject to planning approval, Willmott Dixon is set to complete the project by the 2020/21 academic year.

The Construction Centre forms part of a wider investment in the college’s campus, which will also see the demolition of the existing Bevan and Bronte buildings, identified by the college as “obsolete” beyond the next academic year.

Alun Francis, Oldham College’s principal and chief executive, said: “The new Construction Centre is a vital step in addressing the changing national landscape and debate about the future of skills.”

“Government is now recognising the growing need for more work-based and flexible ways to get high-skilled qualifications: rather than traditional academic routes of A Levels and three-year residential degrees.

“We’re making transformational changes to our curriculum and facilities to meet this opportunity – and this new Construction Centre is going to be a huge asset to Oldham as a place, to generations of learners, to local businesses and our economy.

“Last year we had a 30 per cent increase in enrolments in our construction learning, and we’re talking closely with employers about the skills and attributes that successful future job hunters will need. “