LCB expands via building acquisition
Leeds College of Building has purchased the 55,000 sq ft former Vodafone site next to its North Street Campus, increasing the size of its estate by a third, and intends to use the extra space for further training opportunities.
Although no price has been given, the site was listed with joint agents Gerald Eve and Holder & Co for £4m.
LCB, which is the UK’s only specialist Further Education college dedicated to the construction and built environment sector, works with more than 800 employers, including NG Bailey, BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, and JN Bentley.
Planning is now underway to determine how the additional space can best be developed to address regional skills gaps and funding is being sought for renovation works and specialist equipment to support training in key government priority areas, including infrastructure, sustainability, and new housing.
The acquisition follows the college being named as one of the first ever Construction Technical Excellence Colleges in August.
In a bid to tackle the national skills shortage and provide the labour needed to build its 1.5m homes, the government selected 10 institutions with LCB selected to represent the Yorkshire & the Humber region.
The ambition is for the network of CTEC hubs to partner with other local training providers and employers to improve training standards and train up to 40,000 people in high-demand trades by 2029, tackling construction skills shortages.
Following a refurb, the acquisition will help bring the North Street Campus in line with the more modern South Bank Campus, which opened in two phases during 2015 and 2019.
Chief executive and principal Nikki Davis, who currently represents the further education sector on the Construction Skills Mission Board, said: “We are thrilled to announce the purchase of our neighbouring site.
“This exciting acquisition will enable us to train even more construction professionals and safeguard a talent pipeline in areas such as groundwork for future construction projects across the region.
“This expansion is a significant step towards our ambition for growth as one of the nation’s only Construction Technical Excellence Colleges – strengthening a vital workforce that will keep the construction industry, and our economy, moving forward.
“With the government’s Skills White Paper targeting 60,000 new skilled jobs by the end of this Parliament, we’re optimistic that this project will secure vital investment and support from government and regional partners such as the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “By training the skilled workers we need for transformational projects like constructing tramlines, building new homes, and retrofitting existing ones, Leeds College of Building puts our region at the epicentre of the nation’s rebuilding effort, creating good jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets.”
