A £5 million investment in a new Construction Skills Centre at Shrewsbury College will help develop the skilled workforce needed to support Shropshire’s construction sector and future growth.

The purpose-designed centre will be built at the college’s London Road Campus, creating additional capacity for young people to gain practical, industry-focused construction skills and qualifications. Work is due to begin this autumn, with the first students expected to use the centre from September 2027.

The development will include specialist facilities for electrical and plumbing training, eight new classrooms and four workshops with dedicated training bays for hands-on skills development.

Importantly for Shropshire’s economy, the investment will help the college respond to skills shortages in construction and the changing skills needs of employers across the region. By increasing local training capacity, the centre will give more young people the opportunity to develop the practical expertise needed to progress into careers within the sector.

The project is being funded through the Department for Education’s Construction Skills Capacity Funding, alongside a financial contribution from Shrewsbury College.

James Staniforth, Principal of Shrewsbury College, said the development would expand opportunities for young people while helping the college respond to the evolving skills needs of employers across the region.

The investment also forms part of the college’s longer-term plans to increase capacity and improve its facilities. Shrewsbury College works with around 9,000 students each year across post-16 education, adult and higher education, community learning and apprenticeships.

For Shropshire, the new centre represents an investment not only in education infrastructure, but in the pipeline of skilled people available to businesses as the construction sector develops.

Read the full story here: £5 million investment in Shrewsbury College will help build the future of construction skills in Shropshire