WORK is set to begin on a ground-breaking £14m health and wellbeing complex at Coleg Cambria.
The state-of-the-art facility will be built at the college’s Yale site in Wrexham.
Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction – which also developed the adjoining £21m Hafod campus – is to take on the project, which includes a fully furnished industry-standard commercial spa and juice bar, simulated medical wards and virtual reality environments.
Foundations are to be laid in the coming weeks and the building is due for completion next summer.
Vice Principal of Technical Studies Vicky Edwards is excited to see their vision come to fruition.
“Health and social care have always traditionally been taught in the classroom, so this is going to be revolutionary for education in this region,” she said.
“The practical skills and experience our learners will gain, in partnership with leading names in the sector, will ensure this is a living, breathing hub of activity, both academically and as a realistic working environment
“The medical simulation wards are an example of that; they will be like a hospital ward, with a virtual reality setting so the learner will be dealing with real-life, real-time scenarios and challenges, to see how they cope and thrive – that’s something you can’t pick up from the back of a lecture theatre or by reading a textbook.”
Vicky added: “There will also be a complementary and alternative therapy hub, with treatments including massage and alternative therapies, which are being prescribed to alleviate mental and physical ailments such as anxiety and depression more and more.
“The commercial aspect of that will be invaluable to our students but also the community as they will be able to book themselves in for treatments at a competitive price. It’s a win-win situation developing relevant skills and experience the learners can take forward in their careers.
“We are very excited about this development, it’s going to be a game changer for health and social care, education and apprenticeships in north east Wales and beyond – we can’t wait to see it take shape over the months ahead.”
Graham Dickson, contracts manager at Wynne Construction, said: “As a company grown in North Wales, we are committed to delivering high-quality structures which will make a real impact to the entire region, and we are thrilled to be commencing work on the second phase of this flagship project.
“It has been fantastic to continue our strong relationship with Coleg Cambria and we look forward to seeing the development come to life over the coming year, as well as providing work experience, apprenticeship opportunities, and chances for the local supply chain as part of this build.
“Our team is already hard at work to ensure a seamless delivery of this complex, which will provide students with a dynamic and interactive learning environment that we hope will inspire and motivate them to reach their full potential.”
