Top-class training facilities for construction crafts will mean a highly skilled sector, boosting the economy.

Tim Crookall MLC, Minister for Education and Children, made the statement as he showed construction sector representatives around the Baillie Scott Wing at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education today.

The wing houses plumbing, painting and decorating, joinery, electrical installation and brickwork students. It’s the second phase of a ?4.9 million investment that has seen the former Water Authority treatment works in Glencrutchery Road transformed into a state of the art centre for engineering and motor engineering.

That freed up space in the main college building, where construction craft training has come under one roof, with facilities that simulate real building sites, industrial workplaces and homes.

Up to now, training has taken place across three sites.

The wing is used by full-time students, those in workplace apprenticeships who attend part-time to study for qualifications and secondary school students who are pursuing a vocational as well as an academic route.

While adult group sizes are matched to workplace vacancies, the facilities will allow more pre-apprenticeship and school students to access training.

Expanding vocational training, both for adults and for 14-16 year-olds, is a key aim of the Isle of Man Government’s Agenda for Change.

The Minister said: ‘Government’s investment in these facilities means the next generation of craftsmen and women will be better equipped than ever for the workplace.’

‘A high quality built environment boosts the reputation of the Island as a place to live and do business and reinforces the message that we have a thriving economy.’

The Minister added: ‘Encouraging more young people down the route of vocational qualifications, and learning a trade, will reduce unemployment, with the obvious economic advantages.’

The Minister said the facilities would continue to allow oil and gas installation training and assessment to be offered, supporting legislation that requires registration of gas installers and promoting best working practice.

‘The workshops will also allow new environmental technology to be incorporated into the curriculum for plumbing and electrical installation students,’ the Minister said.

The College used the creation of the facilities as a ‘real life classroom’ for those learning their trade, the Minister went on, with students contributing their skills where appropriate.

The building is named after Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott (1865-1945), the acclaimed architect who studied at the Isle of Man School of Art and was a contemporary of Archibald Knox. His style can be seen in many Manx homes and public buildings.