New £8.1m training facility ready for September

Partners and councillors in front of Wolverhampton's new Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre, which will open in September

Building work has been completed on a new £8.1m educational facility in the Black Country.

The City of Wolverhampton College Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre will open to students in September.

The facility, on the Wellington Road campus in Bilston, will offer specialised engineering and automotive courses, including focus on electric vehicles and robotics.

"Students enrolling for automotive and engineering qualifications will benefit from first class, industry standard training facilities," principal Malcolm Cowgill said.

Employers would also gain "a workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills that their businesses and the wider sectors need", he added.

The purpose-built centre, funded by £7.7m from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the remainder from the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, forms part of the first phase of City of Wolverhampton Council's Learning Quarter masterplan.

It is predicted to attract about 5,500 learners and 954 apprentices over the next decade.

Council cabinet member Chris Burden said the training facility aligned with the city's "strong credentials as a front runner in green industries".

The next phase of the masterplan is in progress, with the construction of a new city-centre campus which is predicted to open next year.

Work has also started on the neighbouring Adult Education Wolverhampton and Central Library facilities.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said the WMCA's investment would keep the region's "vital manufacturing sector at the forefront of the industry".

The scheme has also been funded by £49m from the government.