College expands into station quarter

Telford College is looking to set up a base in the town’s fast-growing ‘station quarter’ to deliver an exciting new range of maths and digital courses.

The Maths & Digital Education and Enterprise Hub plans are a collaboration between the college, Telford & Wrekin Council, and other partners. From January, a pilot project will be up and running to deliver innovative maths skills, including A level qualifications. 

Working in partnership with T&W, the college will operate from Addenbrooke House, creating a hi-tech delivery base for this type of provision.

Graham Guest, Telford College’s principal and chief executive, said: “We see this as being a unique alliance between industry and education. Telford and Wrekin’s ambitions are in line with those of Telford College and other partners - the collaborative approach is very powerful.

“We have been in dialogue with the council and other partners including Telford Business Board over these proposals for the past six months, and things are now really starting to take shape. In the short-term Telford College will be setting up a pilot project early next year, whilst also working on a longer-term vision with the University of Wolverhampton and other partners, to create a collaborative learning hub.

“There are some exciting plans to grow Telford’s station quarter, and we see it as a tremendous opportunity to create an ambitious and exciting innovation centre right at the heart of it.

“For us, it’s an opportunity to expand our provision in a way which is accessible to a greater proportion of people across the borough, and which would raise people’s aspirations. It’s also about supporting local employers to ensure they can develop the sort of workforce they require – and help to retain these important skills in the town.”

Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “It’s a Council priority that our young people and working adults receive the education and training they need to secure and maintain employment in an ever-changing job market.

“The plans for the ‘station quarter’ gives us the opportunity to work with Telford College, link with business partners and equip our workforce with high quality, industry-ready skills that will serve the borough well as we move into an increasingly digital world.

“This centre of excellence will also attract new investment into the town, help drive productivity across our business sectors and turbo charge opportunities for our residents and communities.”

The new Telford College base would serve as an innovation centre and accelerator hub for employers, with close links to the borough’s schools, business support organisations, including Telford Business Board and community groups.

Mr Guest added: “Maths and digital qualifications are a vital pathway to higher quality and better paid career opportunities for the people of Telford. We are talking about equipping people for careers in sectors such as cybersecurity, AI and robotics, virtual and augmented reality, cloud computing, wireless technologies, 5G innovation, and a whole lot more.

“The future of education needs to be built around imaginative and creative collaboration, and we are keen to work closely with partners across the business, school and local government sectors.

“Statistics show that young people in Telford & Wrekin have aspirations which are lower than the national average. This new project has the potential to open more people’s eyes to what is possible, right on their doorstep.”

Pictured: An aerial view of the land earmarked for the Station Quarter development