Truro and Penwith College has announced details of a new £1.7 million redevelopment of its construction teaching spaces.
Work is due to start at the Truro campus over February half term having been awarded £1.2 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and a further £500k from the Department for Education’s (DfE) Local Skills Improvement Fund.
The new industry-leading facilities will welcome the college’s full-time learners and apprentices from September, with final completion set for March 2025.
The college’s construction learners are already finding their futures thanks to links and recent visits to Truro’s Langarth Garden Village development just outside of the college, that is expected to offer 25-years of work for construction professionals with the build of up to 3,500 new homes as part of Cornwall’s latest sustainable community.
Truro College has previously benefited from nearly £400k of investment from the DfE’s Strategic Development Fund allowing it to expand teaching space in construction in response to a surge in demand from young people wishing to embark on careers in the sector.
Previous investment also introduced future-focussed retrofit and renewables facilities to prepare learners for current and future building standards after Cornwall’s construction employers joined the college to establish industry need through its newly-established Construction Advisory Panel.
The new £1.7 million redevelopment will upgrade these spaces to increase capacity further and create a future-proof, state-of-the-art facility to meet the current and future needs of Cornwall’s construction industry.
Martin Tucker, principal at Truro and Penwith College, commented: “This project is further evidence of our commitment to future-focused training as we support students to constantly look, reach and go further. The investment not only provides our students and industry expert teaching teams with cutting-edge facilities but will ensure Cornwall’s Construction industry has access to industry-ready skills for many years to come.”
