Work begins on The skillsXchange

Wakefield College has a vision - to provide cutting edge training facilities, for both individuals and businesses, to meet the skills challenges of the 21st century. That vision has taken a step closer to reality, with building now underway on the skillsXchange, the College’s state-of-the-art, iconic new learning facility at Glasshoughton.

“This will be a facility of which our District can be proud. It will serve learners right across the District and beyond, and be an integral part of the regeneration of the Wakefield District, in which the College has a key role to play,” said Sue Griffiths, Wakefield College’s Vice-Principal Planning and Development, and Project Champion.

The Xchange will house training provision in Construction, Motor Vehicle and Engineering, Hair and Beauty, IT and some Care and Public Services and it will ultimately replace the training currently offered at the College’s Whitwood Campus.

Today, where miners used to toil, stands the most impressive and successful contemporary regeneration project in Yorkshire. Glasshoughton, located at Junction 32 of the M62 between Castleford and Pontefract, is a £200 million, 335-acre mixed-use business park which has been masterminded by regeneration specialists and acclaimed developers Waystone, in conjunction with Yorkshire Forward, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, English Partnerships and the European Community.

The site is best known for Xscape, the hugely popular indoor ski slope, whose building incorporates a 14-screen cinema, bowling alley, climbing wall, sports facilities and restaurants. The development also boasts retail outlets, a hotel, superb motorway links, and soon - the skillsXchange, “There has been pressure on us from the Learning and Skills Council, our main funding body, to reduce the excess space involved in a three campus set up. So, we introduced a property strategy with the vision of moving from three to two Campuses.

Our Whitwood Campus was built early last century and we had to make the decision about whether we could do something different on that site, or go to new build. There are sentimental feelings for Whitwood, as it was the local mining college, but we finally came to the conclusion that redeveloping that Campus was not viable.”

“We were aware that the post-16 ‘staying on’ rate in the North East of the Wakefield District is really low,” said Sue. “So we worked with the schools in that area to incorporate some of their ideas into a building which we hope will encourage young people to stay in education. Working with school children, and gathering their ideas, can generate their ownership of a building.

“But we will be bringing some of the features from Whitwood into this new building and we’ll be putting a time capsule in the reception area, which will have some artefacts from Whitwood, keeping links with the past.”

The new build itself is distinctive, attractive, welcoming and easy to navigate - a triangle with wings, which house Construction, Engineering and Motor Vehicle. On the entry level is the reception, a refectory and classroom spaces with Hair and Beauty on the next floor. Right at the top are conference facilities. The Learning Centre sits right at the heart of the building with views to a walled garden, which will form a little oasis. “All in all, it’s like a big ship, I like to think, with a lovely prow,” said Sue.

“We’re all very excited. It has been a long time in gestation but now it’s a reality. The ‘first turf’ will be turned on Friday 18 May 2007 by local MP, Yvette Cooper, ably assisted by local schoolchildren who, we hope, will consider the Xchange as their future place of study. The 77-week build is due for completion in October 2008 with students through its doors in January 2009.

Plans are also underway for the second new College development, in the heart of the Wakefield city itself, fulfilling its aim to become a two-Campus College. Consultations and creative workshops involving stakeholders are ongoing, seeking opinion and input to the plans for this new facility.

“Our design team for this build, led by local architects DLA, are doing a splendid job at looking at what’s possible. They have produced a staged programme, designed to cause minimal disruption for the students. We’re looking at a separate building for our Wakefield Sixth Form College. This, we feel sure, will endorse our superb results, which are up there with the best, and generate increased enrolments onto our advanced level courses.

“We’re also looking at developing a separate Higher Education Centre and are in discussion with local universities about the possible roles they could play in this exciting new development. The WMDC is the largest metropolitan district in the country without its own university and they are as eager as we are to see Wakefield’s own Higher Education Centre take shape.

“We’re also talking to Wakefield Theatres and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats about how we can ensure our students have access to the high level of performance and sports facilities we currently enjoy at our Thornes Park Campus.

Sue concluded, “This is a major investment for Wakefield and beyond.”

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