£2.3m ideas centre launched (From Western Telegraph)

£2.3m ideas centre launched

Pembrokeshire College is poised to begin the construction of a new Technology Innovation Centre on its Haverfordwest campus next month. It will create places for over 100 new students and ten additional staff.

The £2.3m centre will provide the latest in technology facilities and multi-media design technology and software to support the growth of cutting edge post-16 and higher education courses. It will also provide support for innovation in local industries.

The Technology Innovation Centre is a wonderful opportunity for the College and Pembrokeshire, commented principal Glyn Jones. It will lead to high-value local skills that can provide a sustainable long-term impetus to the Pembrokeshire economy. There will be strong links between the curriculum, in further and higher education, and the development needs of local innovative businesses.

In short, it is envisaged that the Technology Innovation Centre will act as a hub for training, development and research for local industries, and as a catalyst for student innovation and entrepreneurship.

A key feature of the centre is the capacity for up to six business incubation units to be supported on site by the College and other agencies. Companies, however small, will have the opportunity to develop along the lines that have been so successful in Irelands recent boom. The units will include three design studios and modelling rooms, sound studio and rehearsal room, three computer-aided design suites, photographic facilities and a computer graphics and digital editing suite, as well as three electronics laboratories and associated workshops and a video conferencing suite.

They will provide much needed support for e-commerce and design-related new businesses and facilitate research opportunities for the colleges higher education graduates.

The cutting edge building will allow greater uptake on new courses such as media technology, industrial design, personal computer technology, mechanical, electrical and automotive engineering.

School-leavers, adults and employees will also be able to benefit from a wide range of other courses in computing, design and electronics. An advisory group, including representatives of local business, the local authority, the WDA and the University of Glamorgan, has been set up to help get the best from this new opportunity. The centre will also displace some activity from the main College building, so freeing up space in the main College for additional development and usage improvement. Tenders were issued in January and local contractor, Cotton Ltd, has gained the contract. The initial phase of the design was undertaken by the College in conjunction with Pembrokeshire County Council. The next phase of the work will be developed with Cotton Ltd working with local design consultants W. A . Spees (architectural), M. Sauro (building services) and R. Cavey Associates (structure).

CAPTION

Principal Glyn Jones and College estates managers, Iain Macrae and Hywel Rees, are pictured to the rear of the college where the new Technology and Innovation Centre will be located.