A group of 12 students from The Manchester College’s Industry Excellence Academy for Construction & Engineering will play a key role in building the College’s new city centre campus.

Construction company Willmott Dixon, who were awarded the £54 million contract for the project, have sponsored the students places on the Architectural & Construction Engineering (ACE) Scholarship programme.

During the two-year course, the students will spend at least 90 days on an industry placement with Willmott Dixon.  They will gain experience in all aspects of the company, from pre-construction and design to delivering commercial building projects. 

Their classroom-based learning will feature bespoke modules, co-developed and co-delivered by Willmott Dixon, to help fill skills gaps in the industry.  This learning will sit alongside workshops focused on personal development and life skills.

Upon completion of the course, the students will gain a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Construction and Built Environment, an industry and university-recognised qualification equivalent to three A Levels.

The new, state-of-the-art campus, located opposite the Manchester Arena and Manchester Victoria Station, will become home to The Manchester College’s Industry Excellence Academy for Creative and Digital Industries as well as UCEN Manchester’s Arden School of Theatre and Manchester Film School.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said:

Our industry needs more skilled people, and this ACE Scholarship, and partnership with The Manchester College, is an outstanding example of how industry and educators can work together to inspire the next generation, create opportunities and develop the construction workers of the future.

Chris Wright, Assistant Principal at The Manchester College added:

We are delighted that Willmott Dixon, as one of the country’s leading businesses in the construction sector, are investing in developing the next generation of talent for the sector. Working on the new city centre campus will enable our students to gain experience of a wide variety of techniques many of which are at the cutting edge of how the construction sector will be operating for years to come. While developing these skills it is also fantastic that our students will be able to point at a building that will be a mainstay of the Manchester skyline for years to come and say, ‘I helped build that’.

Photo: The ACE Scholarship group with Willmott Dixon Construction Manager Chris Baker and Site Administrator Danielle Whitworth.