Visitors will get their first chance to see inside The Skills Academy tomorrow (April 29), as the brand new learning facility opens its doors in Billingham.

The purpose-built centre offers a brand new option for school leavers and young people, looking to find their way to their future career.

Academy manager Lorna McLean said: “This is a new and exciting opportunity for post-16 learners, which wasn’t available in the Billingham community before.”

Offering a range of introductory vocational courses, underpinned by essential skills including English and Maths, she said: “The aim of the Academy is to make vocational learning more accessible in Billingham and the surrounding areas.”

The development of The Skills Academy followed a successful application for Education Funding Agency (EFA) funding by Stockton Borough Council in partnership with Egglescliffe School.

The Academy, which has the capacity to cater for 180 students, will be run, and the curriculum delivered, by Stockton Riverside College.

Delivering Entry and Level 1 courses in subject areas including, Creative Arts and Media, Construction, Health and Social Care and Childcare, Lorna said: “Previously those who have wanted to study these subjects have had to go outside of Billingham.”

Providing everything you would expect from a college environment, she said: “Now they will be able to learn in the town, if that is what they want.”

The Academy manager said the centre’s small size and friendly atmosphere also help to make it the ideal choice for any young people who may be currently out of employment or training, and want to find their way back into education, or learn more about a subject area in a practical, hands-on way.

She said: “The whole ethos of the Academy is based on its students being able to gain practical skills, using hard work and determination to succeed, and in doing so, building confidence and getting ready for their next steps in the trade, or area they have chosen to explore.”

Lynda Brown, Stockton Council’s Head of Children, Schools and Complex Needs, added: “For our young people to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential, it is vitally important that they can access a range of vocational courses. The new Skills Academy will deliver such courses in a supportive, inspiring environment, equipped with first-class learning facilities.”

With work now complete on the £1.6m centre and applications being taken for courses starting this September, The Skills Academy is holding an open day tomorrow with tours for school and youth advisor groups during the day, and doors open to all potential students, their families and the general public, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

For more information go to: www.stockton.ac.uk/skillsacademy