Learning centre facelift set to boost technology skills

Hundreds of schoolchildren, adults and teachers from across the north of Rotherham have already benefited from using the existing centre, which offers a range of classes using the latest technology.

The new centre will include a large filming, photography and animation studio, a digital studio and a computer suite with 12 machines.

Funding for the project has come from a variety of sources, with 600,000 being contributed by Rotherham Council, 200,000 from the City Learning Centre itself and 60,000 from Rawmarsh Community School.

Coun Shaun Wright, cabinet member for children and young people on Rotherham Council, said: "The existing centre has been hugely

successful and these new facilities, once they are completed, will provide a major boost to this work in the north of the borough.

"Ensuring we use new technologies in learning is key to ensuring we can meet the needs of the future economy and put Rotherham at the forefront of new technological advances."

First built eight years ago, the Rawmarsh City Learning Centre has been especially successful within the last three years, when it began offering courses linked directly to those skills required by employers in Rotherham.

These new programmes have resulted in more than 700 young people and adults achieving NVQ Level 2 qualifications. Meanwhile, the City Learning Centre has also trained more than 120 teachers in how to use the latest technology.

The work on the new centre is being carried out by Pontefract-based construction and engineering company RH Fullwood. A family-run firm, RH Fullwood specialises in carrying out work in the public sector.