Work on £3.6m expansion at Furness College now underway

Construction work is now underway on a new multi-million pound facility at Furness College in Barrow, Cumbria.

Maryport-based Thomas Armstrong Construction Ltd has started building the £3.6m Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre, a project to boost the engineering and manufacturing knowledge of the county’s workforce.

Lancaster-based Harrison Pitt Architects will oversee the development of the 14,000 sq ft facility, which will host rapid prototyping and research into engineering and advanced manufacturing.

Architect Zoe Hooton, who works for Harrison Pitt Architects, said: “The design of the centre mimics the facilities used by leading international manufacturers with sites in Cumbria, so it will provide students with the specialist transferable skillset needed to succeed in the sector.

“The new facility will put Furness College at the forefront of innovative manufacturing education and training, so it will really help plug the need for technically trained staff within the county.”

She added: “It’s exciting to see the plans starting to take shape.”

With the new centre, Furness College plans to provide an environment for scenario-based learning for apprentices from some of the region’s largest employers, such as defence and aerospace firm BAE Systems, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and German tech company Siemens.

The college received a £1.2m boost from the Local Growth Fund through the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership to create the new facility.

The deputy principal and finance director at Furness College, John Smith, said: “We are delighted the project is now underway and progressing as planned. The building will start to become a reality towards the end of October with the completion of the steel framework.

“Looking forward to next year, the completed facility will add to the existing great facilities that Furness College has to offer its students, staff, employers and the community.”

George Smith, the contracts manager of construction firm Thomas Armstrong, said he believes the demand for skilled workers in Cumbria will only grow as the region’s top manufacturers continue to expand.

He said of the development: “Work on site is progressing really well so far, with the foundations for the steel frame almost complete. It will provide a real boost for the local area once built.”

The project is due for completion in May next year, in time for the start of the next college term in September 2016.

The MP for Barrow in Furness, John Woodcock, commented: “Furness is standing at the threshold of enormously exciting times and the industrial expansion is going to require our young people to be equipped with the very best engineering and technological training.

“Once completed the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre at Furness College will be able to deliver those cutting-edge disciplines and I am hugely impressed by the work that has begun on this project.

He added: “The centre will be yet another string to the college’s bow and I feel certain that local employers will be satisfied that students who have been taught here will have the skills to deliver for Furness over many years to come.”

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