Former Wolverhampton brewery set to become new West Midlands Construction UTC

THE University of Wolverhampton has unveiled multi-million plans to transform the site of a former brewery in the city to create a new hub for construction education.

A deal has been agreed by the university to buy the former Springfield Brewery and transform it into the new West Midlands Construction UTC (University Technical College), which the university is sponsoring along with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

The university also has plans to relocate its own School of Architecture and the Built Environment to the site making it a local, regional, national and international centre of excellence.

An agreement to buy the 12-acre brownfield site, which has been vacant since 1991 when the brewery closed, has been reached and the aim is to finalise the  deal in the next few months.

The UTC will provide education for 14-19 year-olds specialising in construction and the application of IT in the built environment. The UTC will prepare students for professional and technical careers in construction. Led by the CITB and co-sponsored by the university, it will open in September 2015 on a temporary site before moving into the new build at Springfield in September 2016.

The university’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment, which is currently based within the City Campus, provides courses in construction management, civil engineering, quantity surveying, architecture and environmental management. The UTC’s unique curriculum will prepare students to follow these courses, and more, at the university.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, Professor Geoff Layer, said: “This will provide a centre of excellence with the most comprehensive construction education and training not only in the country but in Europe.

“We are delighted to be working with the CITB in bringing this project together. This is hugely positive news for the construction industry and for Wolverhampton and the Black Country.

“The development will put the area on the map in terms of construction education and training and will mean that we can provide skills and education from the age of 14, right through to senior professionals wanting to improve their own development.”

He said it was also exciting for the City of Wolverhampton, as a key factor in the development was the economic benefit it would bring to the city by regenerating a brownfield site, creating jobs and providing the right skills needed by industry.

The latter point is especially significant. Just this week, Steve Morgan, chairman of Redrow, said the residential housing sector was in danger of stalling because of a shortage of skilled bricklayers and builders.

By coincidence, Morgan is also chairman of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, whose ground will be very close to the completed college.

Redrow is one of the 60 construction companies to have backed the college, with others including Willmott Dixon, Morgan Sindall and Lovell Partnerships Ltd, Hewden, Carillion, Barhale Construction and Balfour Beatty.

The UTC also has the strong backing of Wolverhampton City Council and Cllr Peter Bilson, cabinet member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity, said: “This is a very exciting proposal that aims to breathe new life into a vacant site and bring more jobs and opportunity to our city.

“The construction sector has a major role to play in the overall regeneration and long term prosperity of Wolverhampton.

“It is therefore important that a skilled workforce is developed to take advantage of career opportunities that will arise over the next few years and this development can help us achieve that.”

 

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