HRH The Princess Royal to open Telford Digital Skills and Enterprise Hub

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal the Chancellor of Harper Adams University, will officially open a new first-class education facility at Station Quarter in Telford Town Centre later this month.

She will be visiting the new digital skills and enterprise hub - The Quad - a unique collaboration between Telford & Wrekin Council, Telford College, Harper Adams University and other partners, to see the completed building and hear about the work already going on at the site - as well as ambitious plans for its future.

The project is funded by the UK Government and Telford & Wrekin Council, in partnership with Telford College, Harper Adams University, European Innovation and Invest Telford.

The Quad is part of the Council's ambitious Station Quarter project to create a vibrant new residential, education and business community in the heart of Telford.

This development aims to retain local talent, be the catalyst for creating careers in applied sciences and the digital sector and is expected to host more than 300 students a year.

For learners in the borough, it will offer an excellent education provision on their doorstep, with access to high quality local transport links.

Councillor Lee Carter (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council Leader, said: “We are delighted that Her Royal Highness is coming to officially open The Quad in Station Quarter and after months of planning, the vision to create this outstanding education facility has now become a reality.

“It’s wonderful to see learners from across Telford and Wrekin already benefiting from courses at The Quad – giving them the skills and knowledge to secure future careers in different sectors.

“As well as giving learners of all ages the opportunity to study courses delivered by Telford College and Harper Adams University, the facility is also the perfect space to help businesses develop and flourish in Telford and Wrekin.”

Telford College is offering courses for up to 200 learners aged 16 to 18 at The Quad, as well as running a range of evening courses for adults.

Lawrence Wood, Telford College principal and chief executive, said: “This is a really exciting development for us. Maths and digital qualifications are a vital pathway to higher quality and better paid jobs and having a campus in the heart of the town centre makes the college more accessible than ever.

“Our curriculum at Station Quarter is targeted towards careers in sectors such as cybersecurity, AI, virtual and augmented reality, cloud computing, wireless technologies and 5G innovation. These are skills which local employers tell us they desperately need.”

Harper Adams University is set to deliver a series of short courses in artificial intelligence, digital marketing, and computer aided design, whilst also recruiting to new undergraduate degrees to be delivered at the new base, including Applied Data Science; Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics; and Digital Business Management.

Harper Adams University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken Sloan, said: “As you might expect, as our Chancellor, Her Royal Highness has taken a keen interest in the development of the Quad, so we are very much looking forward to being able to welcome her now the building is open.

“Harper Adams University has a long and historic association with the region, but this is the first time we have had a base for educational provision which is not on our main campus.

“We know there are young people in and around Telford for whom Harper Adams would be a brilliant choice of university. By bringing the University into the town, we hope we can make it easier for them to realise their potential with us.

“With partners such as the Council and Telford College – we can draw upon our collective strengths and get the very best for our region.”

Alongside the first-class education provision from the College and University, a new 7,500 square foot business incubator is located on the third floor of The Quad to support new and growing companies.

It will offer individual units for businesses to rent on a flexible basis, alongside training rooms. The Start Up Telford and Innovate Telford programmes will be delivered from this space.

Station Quarter is part of a wider programme of investment in Telford and Wrekin which is transforming other areas including Oakengates and Wellington - creating a better borough for everyone.