Education secretary Gavin Williamson has welcomed Telford College’s plans to open a new Maths and Digital Education and Enterprise Hub in the town centre.
The plans, part of Telford’s growing ‘station quarter’, are a collaboration between the college, Telford & Wrekin Council, and other partners.
From January, a pilot Telford College project will be up and running to deliver innovative maths skills, including A level qualifications, operating from Addenbrooke House.
In a letter to Telford MP Lucy Allan, Mr Williamson says: “I am very pleased to see Telford coming forward with a proposal to use Towns Fund funding to strengthen technical education provision in the area.
“As we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and look to take advantage of the opportunities created by leaving the European Union, skills are more important than ever as a driver of both productivity and social mobility.
“I welcome in particular the contribution that this proposal seeks to make to levelling up opportunity across the UK, and to strengthening higher technical education and STEM provision.
“I recently published reforms that aim to make higher technical education a high-quality, prestigious and popular choice. I also welcome the focus on responding to employer demand, and the engagement with local employers.”
Mr Williamson’s comments follow similar endorsements of the scheme from the chair of the Education Select Committee, Robert Halfon MP.
Mr Halfon has visited Telford College, and seen first-hand the work being done on boosting technical qualifications at facilities such as the college’s automotive centre.
Lucy Allan said: “To receive a second letter praising the aims of the new digital and skills hub is a real sign of how important this scheme is for Telford.
“I will continue to work with the other members of the Towns Board to make this proposal a reality.”
