Work has started on a new specialist construction centre at Longbridge.

The 30,000 sq ft for Bournville College development is located adjacent to The Factory young people’s centre and St Modwen’s Technology Park, near the existing college.

The centre will provide a contemporary, hands-on educational environment for students studying construction disciplines, including vocational subjects such as bricklaying, plumbing and heating and painting and decorating.

It will cater for full and part time students, including offering apprenticeship programmes to industry and for adult learners looking to retrain.

Mark Batchelor, construction manager at St Modwen, said: “We are really pleased to be bringing forward the development of the new construction centre. The creation of a specialist facility to accommodate training the skilled future workforce of the construction industry is a significant addition to the college’s offering. It’s location at Longbridge, which benefits from superb connectivity means that is will be accessible to both local residents and people coming from the surrounding areas.”

Norman Cave, principal of Bournville College, added: “The new construction centre will support our ambitions to expand and enhance our service offer, specifically within the vocational and wider construction disciplines. In addition to the traditional construction courses, we will be offering new subjects covering the latest sustainable skills and technologies.

“It will offer a modern, purpose built environment for students and staff adding to the existing facilities at our main campus building situated adjacent to the site of the new development.

Contractor Morgan Sindall is currently on site undertaking the construction of the centre, which is expected to be completed in the autumn.