College to spend £4m on Birmingham skills centre overhaul

BIRMINGHAM Metropolitan College is investing nearly £4m to redevelop its skills centre in Erdington.

Some  £1.33m of the investment is grant funding form the Skills Funding Agency.

The Erdington Skills Centre currently offers a range of Entry and Level 1 Construction as well as Foundation Learning and ESOL courses for local school groups, people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and for unemployed adults who are aged 19 or over.

The existing mix of Edwardian and 1950s buildings which used to be Erdington Technical School will be replaced with purpose built facilities including classrooms and workshops which have been specifically designed to accommodate a range of sectors including construction.

There will also be training rooms with enhanced technology.

John Starmer, executive director for estates at Birmingham Metropolitan College, said:  “The facilities on offer at the Erdington Skills Centre, especially the old school buildings are not fit for purpose in terms of the training and education provision we offer now. 

“We have committed to investing a considerable amount of money, combined with the Skills Funding Agency grant, to demolish the existing buildings and build a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to construction where eventually we hope to expand the courses on offer to a much wider selection of learners.”

Jack Dromey, Labour MP for Erdington, said:  “The plan to invest in rebuilding the Erdington Skills Centre is an important and exciting development, not only for Erdington and the surrounding area, but for Birmingham as a whole. 

“The improvements to facilities will mean that we have an exceptional facility on our doorstep to deliver practical and valuable training experience to help equip local people with skills to support the growing economic upturn – especially in the construction industry.”