By Daniel Wood – KLTV Contributor
The unveiling of Kirklees College’s new £14m Pioneer Higher Skills Centre in Dewsbury is set for Monday, November 23.
It will be a new learning facility dedicated to higher skills and higher education in West Yorkshire.
The specialist centre aims to increase the skills of local people by supporting them to gain qualifications, work skills, and enhance their career prospects. The capacity of the college will also increase, which will allow more higher education learners to enrol.
The housing of the skills centre will be in the historic Victorian Grade II Listed building. It covers 4,500 square metres over three floors and has been transformed into a state-of-the-art facility as part of a £14million project.
A unique study environment will be given to attendees, as the building’s heritage features have been preserved and restored.
There will be new art workshops, fashion and textiles studios, science labs, classrooms and IT suites in the building, as well as an extensive Learning Resource Centre to support learners in their studies.
Other inclusions are a hair and beauty salon, café, Starbucks coffee shop, and dedicated social spaces.
Leeds City Region Growth Deal has part-funded the project and will be delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
It has also been supported by Kirklees College, The Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative.
The higher education centre will be located opposite Dewsbury train station; the centre offers degree-level courses on the doorstep of learners designed with their family and other commitments in mind.
Due to the lower course fees and small class sizes that offer specialised academic support, the Pioneer Higher Skills Centre will be a great alternative to studying at University level.
The centre looks set to offer full-time and part-time courses in:
- Art and design
- Business
- Early years
- ESOL
- Computing
- Counselling
- Teaching
- Hair and beauty
Kirklees Council, Hovis, Coca Cola, Myers Group, and Microsoft will all work closely with Kirklees College in a partnership as part of this project.
The assistant principal for adults and higher education, Phillipa Firth, said: “We are very excited to be delivering our Higher Education programmes from the newly restored Pioneer Higher Skills Centre.
“We hope that this specialist centre will be a welcome addition to the local area and provide the people of Dewsbury and beyond with the opportunity to learn a new skill or start a new career at Kirklees College.”