Building work finished on £3m engineering hub

Building work has been completed on a "cutting-edge" multimillion-pound manufacturing and engineering "hub" for Keighley College where apprentices will be trained.

The £3m site is part of the Providence Park industrial development being built on the former Universal Mills site in the town.

According to the college, the hub could be used to train up to 120 students or apprentices at any one time, with its lower floor set to include a fully kitted-out engineering workshop.

Kevin O'Hare, Keighley College principal, said: "This is a major milestone for the college, Providence Park and Keighley and could be a real game-changer for our district and its economy."

The building's upper level would include a future technologies lab fitted out with a laser cutter, printing machines and testing equipment, along with two IT rooms and a teaching space, the college said.

Mr O'Hare said: "We are privileged to be based in an industrial heartland that continues to build on its proud history, with many of our employers forging ahead into exciting new areas of manufacturing, engineering and technology, including robotics.

"For those businesses to flourish, though, they need a steady stream of apprentices and students who have industry experience and the up-to-date skills needed to join and strengthen their workforce."

The college, celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, would use the hub to strengthen ties with the district's businesses, Mr O'Hare said.

Tim Rogers, chair of Keighley Towns Fund, said the creation of the hub "represents an incredible skills and training opportunity for the town".

"We are proud of what is being achieved at Providence Park, which is a really exciting commercial development for Keighley, and the opportunities it will create for generations to come," he added.

The £12m Providence Park, on the corner of Dalton Lane and Bradford Road, is being partially funded using £6.5m of government cash via the Keighley Towns Fund, with about half of that being used to build the new Keighley College hub.

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