Cirencester College has marked the official start of construction of its new T-level building with a 'breaking ground' ceremony.

Designed by Gloucester-based architects Roberts Limbrick and to be built by E G Carter & Co Ltd, the building will house state of the art facilities and the latest technology and hopes to enhance the college's learning environment and support the specific needs of T-level students.

The same team also designed and built the Gloucestershire Digital Skills Centre, which is expected to reach completion in February 2022.

College principal Jim Grant said: "We are so excited to have this building underway. This will be an amazing facility, providing excellent new specialist accommodation for our T-level students in Engineering, Health, Construction, Finance, Early Years, Accounting and Business.

"As the leading T-level provider in the region, it will enable us to step up our contribution to the local skills agendas in Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. It will also transform the front of the College and provide great new facilities for students to work with employers.

"We are very grateful to the ESFA for funding and the support we have had from our LEPs councils and MPs in making our bid."

Levi Summers, E G Carter & Co Ltd's contracts manager for the project, said: "We are delighted to start work on Cirencester College's new T-level Building. The new facility will include dedicated T-level teaching space along with teaching rooms, offices and extra storage.

"Over the next year we are looking forward to creating a building that will have a positive impact on all of the students at Cirencester College and their chosen career paths."

Ben Harries, from Roberts Limbrick, said: "We are privileged to be on this amazing journey with Cirencester College as they implement their vision for an exciting, innovative and inclusive campus.

"We believe that T-levels are a fantastic opportunity for many young people who would like to pursue technical careers. We have explored the College's aspirations for developing T-levels into the future and designed something which will support this; this is about providing the best possible outcomes for T-level students, which means an engaging, flexible and inspiring teaching environment.

"The mission is to deliver something that is bespoke, providing more options for teaching and learning than your typical classroom block, yet flexible enough to grow and change with the curriculum."

T-levels or Technical Levels are new qualifications which are equivalent to 3 A-levels. T-levels have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study.

Cirencester College is said to have been at the forefront of the roll out of T-levels since September 2020 and now offers a broad range of T-level subjects, giving students more options from which to choose.