Ceremony at Tresham College’s Wellingborough campus

The £10m re-launch of Tresham College’s Wellingborough campus reached a significant milestone on November 27th with the first cladding panel being put in place.

The fire-resistant, safety-first, covering will enhance the external appearance of the old tower block, which together with other buildings, will house 1,000 students and staff from September 2020.

The re-launch of the Church Street campus, which has been partially open ONLY for motor vehicle students for several years, will see the reintroduction of full-time courses including, carpentry, plumbing, business, brickwork, electrical as well as Access to Higher Education, early years and health & social care, and IT & computing which are currently taught at Croyland Hall nearby in the town centre. Part-time courses in accountancy, counselling, Preparing to Teach (PTLLS) English and maths, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), HR (CIPD) and Management and Leadership (CMI) will also be available in the new-look campus.

Wellingborough campus is part of Tresham College which merged with Bedford College to form The Bedford College Group in 2017. The Group was awarded £7.5million from SEMLEP following an application for funding through the Local Growth Fund. 

College Group CEO Ian Pryce CBE laid the first cladding panel with Project Manager, Mark Eustace.

Ian said, “We have added to the generous SEMLEP grant to complete this £10m investment in new facilities and courses which will be a tremendous lift for education in Wellingborough and the wider region. 

“Further, it will be a great boost for the town centre to have this influx of new customers of all ages. 

“We are grateful to the Borough Council of Wellingborough and its members and officers for all their help and support in this interim period - including allowing us to use Croyland Hall as a temporary training centre.”

Paul Thompson, Employment and Skills Manager at SEMLEP said: “Construction, education and health & social care are all fast-growing sectors in the SEMLEP area and ones in which employers tell us that they face skills shortages, including those relating to digital technology and management. Tackling business constraints around local workforce skills and competencies is a strategic priority for SEMLEP’s investment programme.

“We’re pleased to work in partnership with The Bedford College Group which is responding head-on to the skills needs of employers.”

Adrian Piper, Assistant Director at the Borough Council of Wellingborough added: “Once open the refurbished campus will not only significantly improve the area of town, but will provide first-rate education opportunities to all of our adult residents. 

“We are delighted to be working with our partners SEMLEP and The Bedford College Group to deliver this project and look forward to seeing it take shape over the forthcoming months.”