The final countdown

Probably the most impressive building on the most successful contemporary regeneration site in Yorkshire - that’s Wakefield College’s new Campus, the skillsXchange at Glasshoughton, a distinctive, iconic structure, which has emerged out of the ground in recent months, and on Monday opened its doors to students.

Hundreds of students waited for the strike of 10 - the time towards which a countdown clock has been heading since the building’s Topping Out ceremony in February last year – and the opportunity to walk through the doors of the new building for the first time.

College Principal Sue Griffiths, who as Project Champion has been involved in the development of the multi-million pound build since work began in May 2007, told both staff and students, eagerly awaiting the final countdown, how fortunate they were to be the first to teach and learn in this fabulous new facility. “This is an historic moment - no-one else will ever be able to say they were the ‘first,” she said.

The lucky learners who cut the ribbon and became the first through its doors, represented each main area of learning which will take place inside the building - the construction crafts, practical engineering, motor vehicle, hairdressing and beauty therapy. And that interior is as exquisitely crafted as the exterior, individual, modern, yet easy to navigate, and with energy saving and green features throughout.

In beautifully appointed salons, including a nail bar, the next generation of hairdressers and beauticians are trained. These professional salons provide live training environments to students, offering hair and beauty treatments to the public. Hair and Beauty Lecturer Lenise Kitson said, “It’s just beautiful, I was so excited last night I couldn’t sleep!”

Purpose-built facilities accommodate the study of brickwork, carpentry and joinery, plumbing, gas and electrical installation, and also practical engineering - electronics, mechanical engineering, welding and plant engineering. Motor vehicle and motorcycle students study in industry standard workshops, and strong links with local industries continue to provide all students with opportunities for work placements.

The 300 members of staff and 2,500 full and part-time students who have relocated to the skillsXchange from the College’s now empty Whitwood Campus, also benefit from a learning resource centre equipped with a wide range of learning materials, the very latest in technology, and access to the internet.
Students were “well impressed” by their new surroundings, and National Diploma Engineering student Nathan French, from Knottingley, said, “The building has a real wow factor to it, the facilities are modern and the layouts are smart and spacious. I think students will really enjoy learning here.”

Situated on the £200 million, 335-acre mixed-use Glasshoughton business park at Junction 32 of the M62, the skillsXchange has been developed by regeneration specialists Waystone, in conjunction with leading property consultants GVA Grimley and architects Pick Everard.

The new Campus adds further diversity to the Glasshoughton site, and will be officially opened in the Spring by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and MP for Normanton. Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract and Castleford, who has been a staunch supporter of the project since its very early days, will also be present.

In advance of the official opening in April, there will be opportunities for both members of the public and businesses across the District to take a look at what’s on offer inside this wonderful new building - at an Open Evening on Thursday 26 February, and a Preview for Businesses on 30 March.

Links

skillsXchange website

ENDS