Telford's Southwater university centre 'a vote of confidence' in town
A new university centre, which is due to open at Telford's multi-million pound Southwater development next spring, has been hailed as another vote of confidence in the town.
The new University Centre Telford was officially launched by Professor Geoff Layer, vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton and members of Telford & Wrekin Council.
The university will create an advice and information centre for prospective students and a business support unit by taking the whole of the top floor of the Southwater One building.
The centre, which will be based at the new £250 million development's golden clad public service building will provide a range of courses.
University bosses say they hope to have two hi-tech classrooms at the centre along with an IT centre for students. They also hope to have a staffroom included in the plans.
The centre further reinforces the university's presence in the town adding to the Telford Innovation Campus at Priorslee, which has just benefited from £2 million investment in facilities including upgraded engineering labs.
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for employment and skills, said: "I think this is great news for Telford, and it will make the area a place that offers people an advanced level of education, and we think that is really exciting.
"As a result residents will be able to access all that right on their doorstep, and having that is really important, especially as university are so high at the moment.
"So for kids in my ward, Malinslee, which is just down the road from here, it means they will be able to walk to the centre so it can be life-changing for so many people."
The new centre will provide a range of courses. It will also include an advice and information centre for prospective students and a business support function.
The building already holds a public library, which will be available to university students.
Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: "This is a huge investment and a it is great for Telford and the whole of Shropshire. It means that we can offer support to pupils and students while they are in any form of education.
"But to have something like this in the centre of Telford for the first time will give young people in the area a chance to receive higher education, and it will give families the opportunity to do so without putting their children into large amounts of debt.
"It also means that we will be having a large number of students coming to the town centre to use the facilities, and hopefully it will encourage them to stay, because Telford is a lovely place to live and work."
The move will also expand the presence of the University of Wolverhampton in Shropshire and comes as Chester University broadens its role by opening up a campus in Shrewsbury. Bosses at the university said the new centre will help increase employment figures but say that it is hard to say at this moment in time by how much.
Professor Geoff Layer, vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, said: "The support from the council has been fantastic ever since we first raised this idea months ago, they have continued to help us, which how we have got to this stage."
"And as a university we want to provide opportunities to an ever widening audience as well as acting as an anchor and driver of economic growth."
He said the university hopes to make further announcements in the next few months about the types of courses on.
Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council's deputy leader, said: "We are delighted to welcome the University to Southwater and this is the final piece of the jigsaw of Phase One of the development. University Centre Telford is a perfect fit for the Southwater development."
