Completion for £14m Skegness College campus
Contractor Hobson & Porter started work on the Wainfleet Road site last summer and has now handed over the 45,000 sq ft facility.
The project has been supported by a £14m government-funded Connected Coast Town Deal and will offer a diverse range of vocational and accessible education courses in areas such as construction, engineering, hospitality, tourism, health and social care, business and digital skills training.
Facilities for vocational learning include motor vehicle, plumbing, electrical and construction workshops, as well as business IT suites. It also has a care flat and hospital ward, as well as a hairdressing and beauty salon.
The first students are now using the building.
Morag Moore, campus director for Skegness College, said: “It’s been an incredible journey to get here, and we’re thankful to everyone involved, from our construction company, Hobson & Porter to Connected Coast, as well as our amazing staff here at Skegness College and the wider TEC Partnership.”
The college said that enrolment numbers are surging, currently at 15% ahead of the expected student numbers. The college has also seen a 125% increase in predicted numbers for adult students.
Richard Hunter, managing director of Hobson & Porter, said: “We have a wealth of experience in the education sector after building, refurbishing and extending dozens of colleges and schools in recent years.
“With our HQ and main operational base positioned on the Humber, it gives us the ideal platform to serve the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and build a robust supply chain operating in all corners of the region.
“Skegness College has been one of our most southerly projects in recent years, but thanks to having trusted relationships with our supply chain, we were able to mobilise and deliver this large flagship project which we are incredibly proud to hand over.”
Other education projects for Hobson & Porter this year include an extension at Cambridge Park Academy in Grimsby, to almost double the size of its sixth form college for SEND pupils, as well as a £1.4m extension at a nursery school in York.
The company has also built two new primary schools near Grimsby, at Scartho and Waltham, for North East Lincolnshire Council which are run by Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust.
