New £9m education facilities unveiled at Calderdale College

Calderdale College has officially unveiled £9m of new facilities, which were delivered by GRAHAM Construction.

The Halifax-based college is one of the largest providers of further education courses and apprenticeships in West Yorkshire.

Specialists in delivering education facilities, GRAHAM undertook the refurbishment of three floors of the college’s Percival Whitley Centre, to create a brand new learning space and Learning Resource Centre (LRC).

Designed by Jefferson Sheard Architects, the transformation will enable the college to deliver new courses in areas such as dentistry, pharmacy, health and social care and childcare.

A specialised Digital Skills and Business Enterprise Centre has been created to deliver additional courses in games design, video editing, visual effects and computer sciences, alongside a dedicated centre for apprenticeship training.

Gary Hughes, GRAHAM regional director for England North, said: “Everyone at GRAHAM Construction is delighted that the work we have undertaken will significantly enhance the Calderdale College’s ability to meet local skills and employment needs.

“GRAHAM has an excellent reputation in the education sector and, once again, by collaborating closely with the client and having a strong supply chain, we have delivered an innovative, creative and sustainable development.

“These facilities will open up a wide range of new career paths for learners in West Yorkshire, and we will continue to engage with the college to support their construction skills and training courses.”

The refurbishment work was part of the ‘Unlocking Potential’ project, a multi-million pound building programme jointly funded by Calderdale College and through Growth Deal funding secured by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

GRAHAM has worked with Calderdale College throughout the project to create skills and training opportunities for learners. This has included work placements, site visits and classroom-based training.

Denise Cheng-Carter, deputy principal, finance and resources for Calderdale College, added: “It has been great to witness the refurbishments coming together. Seeing all the hard work that has gone into our Unlocking Potential project really highlights the skills within the construction sector.

“As part of our work creating a ‘skills for jobs’ curriculum, the college is keen to maintain links with GRAHAM and other construction companies to ensure we are aligning our course offer with the needs of the construction industry.

“Additionally, we will continue to build on our course offer to businesses in this sector in order to meet skills gaps and contribute towards the growth of the region.”

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