New college facility opens following £11.1m investment
The latest development part of an £80m package of investments in new college facilities across Leeds City Region has officially opened.
The purpose-built Kirklees College Springfield Centre in Dewsbury is now open following a £11.1m grant and a £850,000 loan from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The further education facility, located at a former Safeway site, will offer vocational programmes for students as part of the Dewsbury Learning Quarter Project.
The funding is part of an overall £80m allocation for new college facilities through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1bn package of Government investment delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Built in partnership with Kirklees Council, The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative, the Springfield Centre is one of the first of a series of works under the North Kirklees Growth Strategy with total costs at £18.86m.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “With Growth Deal funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, we are improving access to training and investing in our future workforce. This is an important part of our ambition to transform our economy for the benefit of everyone who lives and works here.”
Roger Marsh OBE, chair of the LEP, said: “This is yet another example of how our Growth Deal with Government is opening up opportunities for people across our region to gain new skills in world-class college facilities.”
Jake Berry, minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, concluded: “This government is committed to boosting economic growth across the whole of the Northern Powerhouse and building an economy which is fit for the future.
“Thanks to £11.1m of Local Growth Funding, the new Springfield Centre at Kirklees College in Dewsbury will provide a state-of-the-art teaching facilities, providing more people with the opportunity to develop new skills and succeed in the workforce across the Leeds City Region”.
