Building firm Morgan Sindall Construction has opened a new ‘Knowledge Quad’ training facility on the site of a £75m office scheme in the centre of Birkenhead. Tony McDonough reports
Morgan Sindall Construction has opened its second Liverpool city region ‘Knowledge Quad’ on the site of a £75m office development in Birkenhead.
It started work in January on the development for Wirral Growth Company which will see the building of two Grade A office buildings of 90,000 sq ft and 60,000 sq ft. The project is being funded by Canada Life Asset Management.
Now, in partnership with Wirral Met College, Morgan Sindall has launched a Knowledge Quad. This is a multi-purpose training and learning facility focusing on the four key areas of skills, education, employment and discovery.
It also creates a link between industry and education through the partnership with Wirral Met College, ensuring that curriculums align with employer requirements and that students, trainees and apprentices at all levels are provided with the relevant knowledge and skills.
Morgan Sindall first introduced the Knowledge Quad concept at its £150m Paddington Village construction site in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter. It provided employment pathway programmes for UK veterans, pre-employment skills workshops and schools, college and university engagement sessions. It has been replicated nationally.
At the Birkenhead site the firm has taken on several members of staff as part of the Kickstart employment scheme.
One of the two five-storey office developments will be occupied by Wirral Council, with the other available for businesses to lease. Wirral Met College works as an education partner with the council, to ensure that skills are developed to enable local people to access the jobs.
Wirral Growth Company is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between Wirral Council and national urban regeneration specialist, Muse Developments.
Richard Potts, Liverpool area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Since we began work on this project we’ve built up a strong local supply chain, and undertaken initiatives to ensure our work in the Wirral offers opportunities to groups that face barriers to developing careers in our industry.
“The Knowledge Quad is the latest step in ensuring this development serves as a catalyst to address the key issues facing the local area, and we’re delighted to officially open it today.”
Sue Higginson, principal of Wirral Met, added: “The launch of the Knowledge Quad is an exciting step forward in that partnership journey and will enable our students to gain experience by working alongside industry professionals in a live site environment.”