A NEW construction centre to support the education and training of students and apprentices will be built in Chelmsford.

Chelmsford College has secured funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) for the new two-storey facility.

Simon Drane, director of curriculum at Princes Road at Chelmsford College said: “We’re excited that our new Construction Centre will include cutting-edge workshops for site carpentry, bench joinery and a renewables workshop to enable design, construction and operation on low carbon building technology including effective use of renewables to meet the required demand for growth in this SELEP priority sector.”

The new centre will support SELEP's key priorities to increase construction apprenticeships and industry relevant qualifications to meet the growing demand for construction professionals.

Chair Christian Brodie said: “Construction is an incredibly important industry in the South East, and we are delighted to be able to help provide cutting-edge facilities for students in this field through the funding of Chelmsford College’s new Construction Centre.

“Much of our work goes into the skills agenda for the South East, ensuring that we are giving residents every opportunity to gain access to trades and skilled career paths.

"We are avid supporters of making apprenticeships as widely available as possible, and this new centre will go a long way in giving students the chance to pursue that path.”

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Chelmsford is rapidly expanding through new housing developments and economic growth.

In addition to the construction of new homes and commercial property development, new infrastructures will be established, including new schools, roads, a new rail station and community facilities.

Chelmsford College’s commitment to the new Construction Centre, with SELEP’s backing, will help train the skilled construction workers required to meet the city’s planned development.

Stuart Graham, economic development and implementation services manager at Chelmsford City Council said: “As a growing City, with a strong track record of housing, economic and infrastructure delivery it is vital that we have the right local skills in the workforce to support the construction sector.

"We are delighted Chelmsford College now has the funds in place to deliver its new Construction Centre and we look forward to it coming to fruition and our local workforce and businesses benefitting from the new skills that the Centre will support.”

The new construction centre is expected to be completed in early 2022.

Andrew Marchant, associate building surveyor at Ingleton Wood, said: “The state-of-the-art Construction Centre will help Chelmsford attract the next generation of construction workers which the industry vitally needs and provide better opportunities for school leavers as we invest in the future.”