Representatives from City of Bristol College, Bristol City Council, south Bristol secondary schools and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) gathered together today to celebrate the ‘topping out’ of the £30m South Bristol Skills Academy, just one year after work began on the new City of Bristol College centre in Hengrove Park.

The South Bristol Skills Academy will provide a state-of-the-art learning and working environment for City of Bristol College students and staff.

Training and regeneration

The new Skills Academy will open to students at the start of the new academic year in September 2010. It will provide education and training for 4,000 students and will deliver a range of courses including brickwork and joinery; health and social care; hairdressing and beauty; catering; motor vehicle, motor cycle and engineering; and information technology.

“The South Bristol Skills Academy will play the leading role in helping young people and adults in south Bristol to gain the skills and qualifications they need to progress to higher education and employment,” said Keith Elliott, City of Bristol College Principal. “We have been working with schools, community groups, government departments, regional agencies and local employers to make sure that when the academy opens, it will offer the range of courses needed to equip local people for jobs in and around the city.”

Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, said: “The new Skills Academy is essential to the regeneration of Hengrove Park. It will make a real difference to many people in the area by providing them with fantastic new facilities in which to learn and gain the necessary skills and qualifications for employment.”

Topping Out

A topping out ceremony is traditionally held when the construction of a building has reached its highest point. The ceremony saw City of Bristol College Principal Keith Elliott filling the final piece of glazing in the roof area.