Bilston Quarterly Plan Phase One Ceremony

City of Wolverhampton College’s new £8.1 million Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre, located on its Wellington Road campus, was handed over on schedule by contractor Speller Metcalfe after 11 months of construction.

The college will now move to a state-of-the-art training centre and will be ready to open its doors to students in September, at the start of the new academic year.

This will secure hundreds of jobs in the local economy and create educational opportunities for thousands of students – specialising in engineering and automotive, including electric vehicles (EVs).

The construction was funded to the tune of £7.7 million by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the remainder by the Black Country LEP.

The centre is designed with engineering and automotive research in mind – with facilities for research into new electric, hybrid and traditional vehicles, as well as manufacturing, production, welding, computer-aided design (CAD) and robotics.

It is expected that in its first ten years of operation the centre will be able to accommodate almost 5,500 students and provide 954 internships, which is expected to help address the skills shortage in Wolverhampton.

Phase two is underway, with McLaughlin & Harvey building a city centre campus that will pave the way for the college to relocate from its outdated Paget Road site, while Speller Metcalfe is carrying out work on the adjacent Adult Education Wolverhampton centre and the central library buildings.

Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Growth, Jobs and Skills, said: “The Education Quarter is a key city priority that will transform the learning environment for our students and residents with a world-class range of learning and skills provision.

“Advanced technology and automotive are rapidly growing sectors of the economy that create education and job opportunities for people of all ages in our city and beyond.

“This is in line with Wolverhampton’s strong position as a leader in green industries, which will be further supported by the development of our Green Innovation Corridor as one of the three pillars of the West Midlands Investment Zone.”

Malcolm Cowgill, Principal and Chairman of City of Wolverhampton College, said: “After years of discussions, we are fantastic to see the Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre completed.

“From September, students enrolling in automotive and engineering qualifications will be able to benefit from top-class, industry-standard training facilities that will prepare them for future careers in the industry, while employers will benefit from a workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills that their businesses and wider sectors need.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and Chairman of the WMCA Board, said: “The West Midlands has a proud heritage in manufacturing, particularly in the automotive industry. But these industries and the jobs they support will not be available to our residents unless we innovate for the future.

“We are supporting the future of this region by investing in a state-of-the-art Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre. This will be vital to keeping the West Midlands’ vital manufacturing sector at the forefront of the industry. And it will ensure our residents have the skills they need to access new jobs so our region can thrive.”