Construction centre helps build skills

Lords Housing Minister Baroness Andrews officially opened the Milton Keynes College Construction Centre at Kiln Farm.

The college was established to address a shortage of construction skills in the Milton Keynes area, and will play an important part in the delivery of new housing and infrastructure.

More than 500 students, aged 16 to 19, will receive training in skills such as bricklaying, plastering and plumbing, with the aim of creating a strong local skills base to support growth in the region. Just under £1 million was provided from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to develop the college, which includes state of the art classrooms with laptop computers for each student.

Baroness Andrews said:

"It was inspirational meeting the students at the construction centre and seeing first hand the skills that they have developed to take into their future employment. Many of these students were at risk of not fulfilling their potential during their mainstream education - now they are in an environment in which they are thriving."

"If Milton Keynes is to achieve its growth potential, the construction industry needs the capacity to deliver. This college is not only training young people, it is investing in Milton Keynes by creating employment opportunities that will support the development of new sustainable communities. I wish these students every success and look forward to hearing of their progress as they enter the workforce."

Rob Badcock, Principal of Milton Keynes College, said: "Milton Keynes College, working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, now has a centre that dramatically increases our ability to meet the demand for construction training in the area.

"This project will reverse the decline in the number of locally based construction workers and will enable the development of Milton Keynes to be driven by skilled construction professionals both living and working in the city.

"Milton Keynes College now has an exceptional centre that, through extensive use of IT resources and innovative layout, will provide a unique environment that will re-define learning in the field of construction."

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