MORGAN SINDALL
MORGAN SINDALL CONSTRUCTION TO EXTEND TRAILBLAZING
THOMAS TELFORD UTC IN WOLVERHAMTON
A pioneering Wolverhampton school at the forefront of providing young people with a unique combination of excellent academic achievements alongside first class preparation for future careers is set to be extended by Morgan Sindall Construction .
The main contractor has been awarded a £ 12.5 million contract to expand Thomas Telford University Technical College ( UTC ) by the Department for Education ( DfE ), and the Thomas Telford Multi- Academy Trust which operates the UTC . Funding for the UTC is from the DfE with a contribution from the City of Wolverhampton Council .
Based at the University of Wolverhampton ’ s Springfield site - Europe ’ s largest construction education campus - the expanded UTC will be built alongside the institution ’ s School of Architecture & the Built Environment ( SOABE ), and the new National Brownfield Institute which is currently being developed .
Designed by Associated Architects , the 4,500 sq m extension comprises a three-storey teaching building and a separate sports hall facility with a reconfigured and enhanced external social space and multi-use games area . The design is sympathetic to the Springfield conservation area and features a profiled metal cladding system with a sawtooth pitched roof .
The work will enable the school to increase its intake by 450 additional pupils taking the total capacity to 1,050 , while supporting at least 50 additional roles for teaching and support staff .
The expanded sports and activity spaces will facilitate the delivery of a full secondary academic syllabus , allowing pupils aged 11-18 years old to be taught at the UTC . Crucially , students will also study a range of technical options in the built environment , including architecture , design and innovation .
The Principal of Thomas Telford University Technical College , Av Gill said : ‘ We are extremely excited by this opportunity to bring a gold standard in education to Wolverhampton and are very happy to be working alongside Morgan Sindall Construction as our chosen contractor .”
The school ’ s Vice Principal , Simon Maxfield , has collaborated with the DfE ’ s Construction Education Advisory Board to develop the brand-new T-level qualifications in Design , Surveying and Planning for Construction which launches this September .
Morgan Sindall Construction was also enlisted by the government four years ago as one of the main industry voices shaping the design of T-levels . A key element of T-levels is industry placements and the main contractor will be supporting two of the UTC ’ s students during the build process .
In addition to the T-level placements , the site team will be engaging with the wider school and providing further work experience opportunities as part of its commitment to social value . Morgan Sindall Construction will also be guaranteeing new job starts for at least four unemployed workers and routing 75 % of spend through local subcontractors as part of the project ’ s social value plan .
Richard Fielding , area director for Morgan Sindall Construction , said : “ The ongoing renaissance of the Springfield site is a perfect example of education-led regeneration . The campus is quickly becoming a national centre of excellence for the built environment and is the ideal setting for the new construction T-level to be taught from .
“ Expanding the facilities to deliver a wider syllabus will enable pupils to consider the school and the rewarding career pathways that vocational training can unlock from an earlier age . It has been the poor relation of university education for too long , but holds the key to addressing skills shortages in multiple industries , not least construction , while providing rewarding , skilled careers for the next generation .
“ We ’ re incredibly pleased to be delivering this landmark project and look forward to welcoming our first T-level placement students .”
Construction work is now underway and expected to complete in August 2022 . Consultants on the scheme include structural engineers Copeland Wedge Associates and M & E Design Consultant Couch Perry Wilkes .
For more information about this news release please contact Daniel Ash at Influential on 07788 260546 or email ash @ thisisinfluential . com
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