New technical education centre in Wigan officially opens its doors

The Rushton building in Wigan town centre, which previously housed Wigan UTC, has now become the Centre for Advanced Technical Studies.

Students started attending lessons there in September and a grand opening has now been held, celebrating two years of the Education Skills Partnership.

The partnership includes Wigan and Leigh College, Edge Hill University, Wigan Council and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL).

It aim is to improve opportunities to develop people’s skills and employment in the future, with a focus on boosting education, health and economic prospects for Wigan residents.

The centre will focus on higher technical skills to benefit people in the Wigan borough and beyond.

It has dedicated space and facilities to develop future health professionals, civil engineers and digital and cyber specialists.

Coun David Molyneux, leader of Wigan Council, officially opened the building on Thursday evening and unveiled a ceremonial plaque.

It was the third time he had opened the building in all its previous guises but this one he revealed was the "best and most beneficial to the borough”.

The UTC (university technical college) shut in summer 2019 due to a shortage of students.

Coun Molyneux said: “It has been a fantastic evening to be here to do the official opening of the Rushton building. What a facility we have now in Wigan and the strong links with the college, Edge Hill University, the council and WWL are absolutely brilliant in terms of what we now can deliver in this borough.”

Guests were invited for a tour of the centre after key note speeches from John Cater, vice-chancellor of Edge Hill University, Silas Nicholls, chief executive of WWL, Coun Molyneux and college principal Anna Dawe.

They enjoyed a collaborative showcase with demonstrations by T-level health students, hardware and networking demonstrations from digital T-level students and examples of industry placement opportunities from T-level civil engineering and teaching and education learners.

Ms Dawe said: “The facility is a testament to the strong partnership we have with Edge Hill University, Wigan Council and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

“It was inspiring to have our students and partners showcasing the transformative impact that this skills collaboration can have.”

Mr Cater said: “Everyone attending the opening saw first-hand how important the centre is. Students spoke about the opportunities presented by the facility and how they had developed crucial skills for the future. It’s been a privilege to work alongside the other partners and to see the impact the centre has had already.”

Mr Nicholls said: “We were absolutely delighted to be part of the opening of such an impressive and important building in our partnership and I commend the excellent progress we’ve made in our Education Skills Partnership over the past two years. This is just one of many shining examples of how we all work alongside each other for the benefit of our community and the people of the Wigan borough.”