A brand-new college building in Skegness has welcomed its first students after construction work completed on the town’s state of the art £14m learning campus.
Hull based construction firm, Hobson & Porter, which operates across Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, started work on the Wainfleet Road site last summer and has now officially handed over the new facility to Skegness College.
The project has been supported by a £14m government-funded Connected Coast Town Deal and it will offer a diverse range of vocational and accessible education courses in critical areas such as construction, engineering, hospitality, tourism, health and social care, business and digital skills training.
Facilities for vocational learning include motor vehicle, plumbing, electrical and construction workshops, as well as business IT suites. It also has a care flat and hospital ward, as well as a hairdressing and beauty salon.
Morag Moore, Campus Director for Skegness College, said: “We’re delighted to welcome so many students to Skegness College and seeing the awe on their faces as they walk through our brand-new campus and take in their new learning environments is a joy!
“It’s been an incredible journey to get here, and we’re thankful to everyone involved, from our construction company, Hobson & Porter to Connected Coast, as well as our amazing staff here at Skegness College and the wider TEC Partnership.”
Skegness College has also revealed that enrolment numbers are surging and are currently 15% ahead of the college’s expected student numbers. The college has also seen an impressive 125% increase in predicted numbers for adult students.
Richard Hunter, managing director from Hobson & Porter, said: “We have a wealth of experience in the education sector after building, refurbishing and extending dozens of colleges and schools in recent years.
“With our HQ and main operational base positioned on the Humber, it gives us the ideal platform to serve the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and build a robust supply chain operating in all corners of the region. Skegness College has been one of our most southerly projects in recent years, but thanks to having trusted relationships with our supply chain, we were able to mobilise and deliver this large flagship project which we are incredibly proud to hand over. There’s no doubt it will be a superb facility that will help to shape the lives of local people for generations to come.”
Other high-profile projects for Hobson & Porter in the education sector this year include a transformational extension at Cambridge Park Academy in Grimsby, to almost double the size of its sixth form college for SEND pupils, as well as a £1.4m extension at St Paul’s Nursery School on St Paul’s Square in York’s Holgate area.
The company has also built two new primary schools near Grimsby, at Scartho and Waltham, for North East Lincolnshire Council which are run by Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust.