College awarded £3.5m for new automotive training facility

Derby College Group is to receive £3.5 million from the Government to create facilities to train more automotive technology learners.

The college has been awarded the money from the Post 16 Capacity Fund, which will allow it to create additional capacity for learners and 16 to 19 years old.

It will involve creating a new state-of-the-art facility to the rear of the current Stephenson Building on the college’s Roundhouse site.

Steven Elliott, head of technology apprenticeships at Derby College Group, said: “This facility will help strengthen the automotive skills of today’s learners and support the education of the next generation.

“We want to inspire anyone who is interested in working in the automotive industry as it is an ever-changing and exciting area to work in. It really has evolved and it’s now an extremely technical industry which requires an abundance of new skills.

“By creating this propose-built training centre, DCG will be perfectly placed to meet the needs of the learners and of the employers.”

The new facility is a response to changing automotive technology, including the evolving requirements for electric vehicles.

The college said it will meet local and national skills requirements and is reflective of learner demand.

The building itself, which is currently in the planning stage, will be built in the most efficient and sustainable way in order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

To accomplish this, the construction will be future-proofed and will incorporate air-source heat pumps, thermal-resistant materials and solar panels.

Iain Baldwin, director of estate at Derby College Group, said: “It’s excellent news to be awarded this grant as this will enable us to create a building that will be totally aligned to the needs of the automotive industry.

“The building will be in the region of 1,150 metres and will incorporate facilities such as high-level lifts, and a double workshop and will be designed to integrate with the existing Stephenson Building.

“And the construction will be environmentally friendly incorporating the latest building techniques and materials.”

The college is currently enhancing the design, finalising costings and preparing all the specifications ready to go out for tender for at the end of this month.

It is aiming for a completion date of September 2024, in time for the new academic year.