AS pupils up and down the country opened the envelopes containing their GCSE results and wonder what the future holds, Whitehill and Bordon is poised to provide a wealth of opportunities for them.

One venue offering educational and career progression is the Future Skills Centre, which will welcome its first students next month.

Said to be “integral to the regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon”, the “flagship facility” will boast a core curriculum focused on skills for the “built environment” – essentially teaching students what they need to know to embark on a career in the construction industry.

This will mean the town’s regeneration, grandly described by East Hampshire District Council as a “£1bn, multi-partner, 15-year collaborative and transformational place-making programme” will, in a sense, “create itself” as there will be no shortage of work in the area for anyone in this field – with plans in the pipeline for 3,350 homes and nearly 100,000sqm of commercial, retail and leisure floor space.

The regeneration also offers students an array of opportunities to experience development right on their doorstep. It’s unlikely a day will pass over the next decade or two when the centre won’t be adjacent to at least one live, large-scale building site.

Although the focus will be on the construction sector, the centre will also become a “new local hub for technical training” that will host a “broad adult and community learning programme”.

The centre is at the former Louisburg Barracks north of the town and is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The £4m centre was largely funded by a grant from the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), although Hampshire County Council (HCC) chipped in £250,000.

HCC has appointed Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) to handled the day-to-day running of the centre.

Steve Gilder, Future Skills Centre manager, knows the industry well, having held a variety of construction roles.

Formerly head of construction/building services at Fareham and Croydon colleges, Mr Gilder started his working life as an apprentice. After training, he went on to work in industry and then to Portsmouth University where he gained a

degree in civil engineering.

He said he would be welcoming students into a sector ripe with “innovative and inspiring” opportunities.

“Starting at entry level and then working my way up has given me the skills, knowledge and understanding of what’s needed to make the centre work,” he added.

“With the significant investment in Whitehill and Bordon, it is critical that we have a skilled workforce to support the economic growth.

“The centre will play a vital part in the lives of young people and the wider community as they gain the technical construction skills needed to support the development of the area.”

Mr Gilder insists the centre is very much a facility for everyone and that it will be led by the demands of local people, business and employers.

“Our vision is to make this a centre of excellence for construction skills training and a credible route into employment. As well as providing much needed homes for Whitehill and Bordon, it is important that we also support the

community by providing the opportunity for jobs and training.”

BCoT principal Anthony Bravo said there had been a “good number of applications for courses starting in September”.

“From our work with schools and employers we know that the Future Skills Centre will be a great success,” he said.

Whitehill Town Council invited Mr Gilder to speak at the town’s annual meeting, and he was keen to outline that the construction industry is not just “paving someone’s drive”.

It is “big business”, he said, contributing “£103bn” to the UK economy in 2014, 6.5 per cent of the country’s GDP, and providing more than six per cent of all UK jobs.

The centre offers courses in general construction, brickwork and carpentry alongside apprenticeships and part-time construction-related programmes.

Courses will range from Level 1 to HNC/HND (Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas) for more advanced students.

It has hit the ground running as, through HCC’s Employment and Skills Plans (ESPs), students have been undertaking work experience with Interserve, the firm behind its construction.

East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds will declare the centre officially open at a launch event on Friday, October 13.

Future editions of the Bordon Herald will feature in-depth reports on the Future Skills Centre’s “state-of-the-art” facilities.