Midas Group has started construction work on Bristol College’s new £9m Advanced Construction Skills Centre based at its South Bristol Skills Academy
Designed to meet sector skills needs, as well as widening participation and access to facilities, the new construction skills centre will deliver higher apprenticeships alongside construction courses for trades in wood, brick and plaster for young people as well as qualifications for professionals already working in the field.
A turf cutting ceremony was held at the site on 14 February to formally mark the start of construction work on the major project.
The scheme includes a 2,800 sqm new construction centre, alongside the 750 sqm refurbishment of an existing building, a construction yard as well as parking and cycle spaces.
Training opportunities
The development of City of Bristol College’s Advanced Construction Skills Centre is due to introduce 180 new apprenticeships at Level 3 and above in the first year and provide a sustainable pipeline for higher apprenticeships for the future to create additional training opportunities for local communities, supporting their wellbeing and the growth of the local economy.
The Advanced Construction Skills Centre is due to welcome its first students in September 2021.
Funding
The total cost of the project is £9m, with £6m coming from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
Midas secured the work through the South West Construction Framework (SCF), a £5.25bn framework delivering public sector projects over the next four years. Since being appointed to SCF in 2015 Midas has won 30 projects with a total value of more than £151m.
Steve Hindley, chairman at Midas Group, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside City of Bristol College on this prestigious project. Supporting emerging talent to build on their knowledge and expertise will have a longstanding impact for the future of our industry and we are pleased to be a part of that.”
“Construction is one of our region’s anchor sectors and we need to provide the new skills to help the industry grow in the future.”
West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles
Andy Forbes, principal and chief executive at City of Bristol College, said: “These state-of-the-art facilities will provide an industry-standard training environment to students and apprentices of all ages, supporting the anticipated growth in the construction sector employment opportunities.
“As highlighted in our recent Ofsted inspection, our students and apprentices ‘are ambitious and well-motivated to learn. They recognise how the skills and knowledge they are gaining will help them in the future’.
“The new centre will support us in making our students even more job-ready and ambitious in their career-related goals.”
