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Former Burnley cotton mill to be the real deal for jobs skills

12:00pm Wednesday 6th June 2012 in News

How Victoria Mill will look after the transformation How Victoria Mill will look after the transformation

THIS is how a historic former cotton mill will look after its imminent transformation into a £10.1million university building.

Planning permission has now been granted for the University Technical College (UTC) proposed for the Grade II-listed Victoria Mill, in Burnley.

Visions Learning Trust says it will educate 14 to 19-year-olds in a format that puts employers at its core.

Its aim is to equip youngsters with the skills levels req-uired by employers in the engineering, advanced manufacturing and construction industries.

Steve Gray, chief executive at Training 2000, lead sponsors of Visions Learning Trust, said: “Having the planning application approved means we can now make our dream of establishing Pennine Lancashire’s first UTC a reality, and I’m delighted we are able to get underway with the construction.

“It will offer an alternative to traditional education routes, and will engage young people through hands-on, vocational learning that will give them a real flavour of what life is like in the world of work.”

Mike Cook, director of economic regeneration at Burnley Borough Council, said: “After a lot of hard work, the innovative and exciting UTC development has now sec-ured planning permission.

“This is a major step forward that will enable us to very shortly start the work on site.

“The vision is to make Burnley a centre of educational excellence, and a regionally-significant centre for advanced manufacturing, dig-ital and creative industries.”

The planning application was accepted by the council last Thursday.

The conversion of the historic mill will be undertaken by Nelson-based Barnfield Construction in a joint venture with Burnley Bor-ough Council and will commence in the coming weeks.

The college is planned to be fully operational by September 2013.

Built in the 1850s, Victoria Mill was originally a Throstle cotton factory.

The buildings occupy a roughly triangular site bounded by the Leeds Liverpool Canal and Trafalgar Street.

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