National property and construction consultancy Wakemans has started on site with a new £3.2m extension at North East Worcestershire College, which will improve the arts and technology facilities and reinforce the College's credentials as a centre of excellence for training in these subjects.

Wakemans is acting as employer's agent, quantity surveyor and CDM co-ordinator on the scheme in Bromsgrove, which comprises an extension to the award-winning winning Harley-Davidson centre and much of the College's frontal elevation. It will provide new automotive workshops and media and music studios plus a new reception area. 

"We are delighted to be working with North East Worcestershire College once again, this time on a development at its Bromsgrove campus, where the new, purpose-designed facilities will not only enhance the learning environment for students but, in a difficult economic climate, will also enable the College to open up further opportunities for young people across the Midlands," says Wakemans divisional director Lionel Martin.

Birmingham-based architects D5, who are responsible for the innovative design of both the College's Redditch and Bromsgrove campuses, have produced the design for the new building and Kier Moss has been appointed as contractor. Construction has started on site and Wakemans says the scheme is scheduled for completion in August.

Describing the development, College Principal John Callaghan said: "Whilst our partnerships with Harley-Davidson and with Bromsgrove District Council through Artrix have already helped create possibly some of the best appointed facilities in the country, this latest investment will help us reinforce the fact that we offer some of the best provision in the region for these subjects."

North East Worcestershire College provides a range of post-16 education opportunities from sixth form and vocational courses to apprenticeships and full-time adult education courses.  It also offers part time courses and employer training support, while its Higher Education courses have been developed in partnership with the University of Warwick, the University of Worcester, the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Wolverhampton.

The new arts and technology building continues the College's policy of investing in better facilities for its students and follows the acquisitions of a new Higher Education Centre last summer and the Construction Training Centre in 2009, bringing the overall total investment over the last ten years to more than £40m.