Learn more about our brand new Construction Skills Centre, based at out Basford campus.
Already the region’s largest provider of construction training, Nottingham College’s Basford campus has further expanded its facilities with the opening of a new £5.4m Construction Skills Centre (CSC). This addition will create capacity for even more 16-to-18-year-olds to access construction training within the city.
Along with grant funding from the government, the college also invested £1.2 million to develop the centre, which began back in September 2023 with local building contractor, G F Tomlinson.
The new facility will increase capacity to meet the construction industry's growing demand for skilled workers, allowing up to 1,000 young people aged 16 to 18 to access construction training and qualifications each year. This is in addition to the many adults and apprentices the college already supports through its training programmes. The Centre features six brand-new classrooms, each equipped with modern technology and resources to support a wide range of construction courses, as well as space for 140 bricklaying bays, providing ample room for students to practice their skills in a realistic setting.
Students studying Bricklaying are already benefitting from the new workshops. Sixteen-year-old Lily Smith, from Carlton, is studying Level 1 Brickwork and said:
"I really love the new building — there’s so much space, and it gives us the chance to connect with students from other levels and see the skills they’re learning too. Being in an environment like this makes me feel confident that one day I’ll have the skills and experience I need to open my own construction business."
Aligned with the college’s commitment to sustainability and its goal of achieving carbon net zero by 2030, the building is designed for maximum energy efficiency and is largely self-sustaining. Equipped with solar panels, advanced low-energy heat pumps, and high-performance insulation, it significantly reduces reliance on external power. Water wastage is also minimised thanks to state-of-the-art taps and plumbing systems integrated throughout the facility.
Carl Ara, Assistant Principal – Basford, said:
"A project of this scale was ambitious, making it incredibly satisfying to see it come to life. Watching our students learn and grow in this new space is truly rewarding, and these facilities will elevate our training programmes, empowering young people and adults across the city to excel in full-time study programmes and apprenticeships.
G F Tomlinson has done an exceptional job — completing a project of this magnitude on a busy campus was no small feat. The builders also provided invaluable experiences for our construction students, from site tours and industry talks to hands-on work placements.
As demand for skilled construction workers rises, especially in housing, transport, and renewable energy, our new CSC enables us to equip the next generation with the skills they need for the future."
