New centre will train workers in ‘green’ technologies

The Power Academy has been given the go-ahead following a deal between Warwickshire College and St Modwen, a UK regeneration specialist.

It is part of a new £35 million college complex being developed in Rugby and will focus on developing training in green and low carbon power sources.

It is being backed by Advantage West Midlands, which has approved £6.3 million towards the academy.  Commercial partners include Power Alstom, a global player in power generation and environmental technologies, and Converteam, a worldwide specialist in power conversion.

It will form part of a wider development that will include more than 600 new homes and employment space as well as the new Warwickshire College Rugby Centre.

Work on the 150,000 square foot academy will start next month, with the first intake of students set for 2010.

Warwickshire College principal Ioan Morgan said the college would provide jobs and apprenticeships for local people during its building phase and would provide training to people in the skills of tomorrow.

 “This is an economic opportunity for the future of Rugby, it’s about inward investment […] and who can think of a better area to be investing in skills than renewable energy and power,” he said.

Karen Yeomans, corporate director of Operations for Advantage West Midlands, said the academy would have a huge impact on the future of environmental technologies. "The new generation of power stations and future green power sources will require particular skills and Warwickshire College is putting Rugby right at the very front of these opportunities,” she said.