Willmott Dixon builds strategic learning hub for Telford

Willmott Dixon is building the £15.8m Telford Digital Skills & Enterprise Hub that will become a central hub for digital and business learning in the region as part of the Telford Station Quarter regeneration.

The company is working for Telford and Wrekin Council, in collaboration with educational partners Telford College and Harper Adams University, after being procured through the Pagabo framework. 

The five-storey hub’s purpose is to provide a combined education and business offering, with shared spaces and start-up offices, as well as become a new base for Telford College and Harper Adams University.

When open for the new academic year in 2024, the hub will accommodate 200 Telford College students aged 16 to 18, while Harper Adams University will offer a range of degrees, including applied data science, robotics, automation and mechatronics, engineering business management and digital manufacturing. 

It will serve as a bridge from education to employment by attracting and retaining young talent, upskilling residents of all ages, and aiding businesses in their growth journeys by providing support services and flexible enterprise incubator accommodation for new or young enterprises in the digital and related sectors to establish and expand in the town centre.

Willmott Dixon has already completed the enabling works for the entire Station Quarter site, in line with the wider masterplan, prior to starting on the Telford Digital Skills & Enterprise Hub. 

For Telford College, Station Quarter is an opportunity to make its curriculum even more accessible to people across the borough, and to help local employers develop the sort of skilled workforce they require - providing local people with a vital pathway to higher quality and better paid careers.

Dan Doyle, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “The Telford Digital Skills & Enterprise Hub brings enterprise, focusing particularly on start-up businesses, and education together – which is the perfect partnership as educating and training the next generation and bridging the skills gap is crucial for the future of so many sectors. 

“The wider site also marks a new chapter for Telford by creating a more accessible, cohesive, and vibrant town centre that supports the council’s carbon neutral by 2030 pledge. 

“The Telford Digital Skills & Enterprise Hub contributes to this, including sustainable elements such as solar PV panels and no gas on site. 

“As with all our schemes, we aim to leave a positive lasting impact on the communities we work within. 

“Throughout this project, we will be delivering a range of initiatives that focus on providing employment and educational opportunities to students in the area; something that is particularly topical given the nature of the building.”

Station Quarter is a new residential-led, mixed-use regeneration project, which will deliver accessible and high-quality homes along with complementary education, hospitality and leisure uses to provide an active destination where people can live, learn, and relax.

The project is being partly funded by a £200m investment of match-funding from the private sector, as well as £22.3m from the Government's Towns Fund.