Derby College Group (DCG) are set to receive a £3.5 million capital award from the Government’s Post 16 capacity fund. This will enable DCG to provide additional capacity for 16-19 learners and create a space that meets local and national skills requirements and is reflective of learner demand.The new state-of-the-art facilities will ensure that DCG is equipped to provide training for the changing automotive technologies including the evolving requirements for electric vehicles.The new facility will be located at the back of the current Stephenson Building on the Roundhouse site in Derby. And importantly, it will be built in the most efficient and sustainable way in order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. To accomplish this, the construction will be future-proofed and will incorporate air-source heat pumps, thermal-resistant materials and solar panels.Iain Baldwin, Director of Estate commented on the new building: “It is excellent news to be awarded this grant as this will enable us to create a building that will be totally aligned to the needs of the automotive industry. “The building will be in the region of 1150 metres and will incorporate facilities such as high-level lifts, and a double workshop and will be designed to integrate with the existing Stephenson Building. And the construction will be environmentally friendly incorporating the latest building techniques and materials.”
Steven Elliott, Head of Technology Apprenticeships said of the new build: “This facility will help strengthen the automotive skills of today’s learners and support the education of the next generation. “We want to inspire anyone who is interested in working in the automotive industry as it is an ever-changing and exciting area to work in. It really has evolved and it’s now an extremely technical industry which requires an abundance of new skills.
“So by creating this propose-built training centre, DCG will be perfectly placed to meet the needs of the learners and of the employers.”
The building is currently in the planning stage, looking at enhancing the design, finalising costings and preparing all the specifications ready to go out for tender for an anticipated date of the end of July. September 2024 is the anticipated completion date and occupancy of the building is expected in the new academic year.
