ECO-friendly construction techniques of the future will be taught at Rugby College thanks to a £900,000 grant.
WCG (Warwickshire College Group) will create a new facility at the Technology Drive campus focusing on low carbon construction, to help close the skills gap in this area and support economic growth across the region.
The Low Carbon Construction Centre will focus on low carbon techniques and future housing, specialising in heat pumps and solar.
The facility, made possible by £900,000 of Local Skills Improvement Funds (LSIF) awarded by the Department for Education, will be based in an existing building on the college site which is not currently in use, and is anticipated to officially open next September.
The centre will initially deliver short courses for small businesses before expanding into apprenticeships and then integrating into WCG’s full time Further Education courses.
WCG is calling on businesses in the construction industry to get in touch to help shape the centre’s facilities, as well as contribute to the development of the curriculum.
Alan May, Director of Apprenticeships at WCG, said: “We are extremely pleased to be awarded this funding by the Department for Education.
“As we move towards Net Zero there is an increasing focus on low carbon construction, for example the installation of ground-source and air-source heat pumps, and we will be ensuring that both current and future workforces have the skills that they need to deliver this.
“Our new facility will involve the repurposing of an existing building, and the Rugby College site already has the infrastructure in place for a ground source heat pump which we will be using for demonstrations.
“We are now looking to collaborate with construction businesses, ensuring they are involved from the start of the process and that the specific needs of the industry help shape not only the facility itself, but what skills are delivered there.
“We’ll also be looking to engage with employers when the facility is open to act as subject experts and deliver guest lectures.
“The funding will also be used to develop e-learning which we will create in conjunction with other colleges across the region to ensure it meets the needs of the whole of the West Midlands.”
Construction businesses who would like to help shape the new Low Carbon Construction Centre at Rugby College can contact the Employer Services team at [email protected].
