With a growing need for STEM knowledge and skills in the local economy, it’s Coleg Gwent’s ambition to educate the workforce of the future in a dedicated facility where learners will be surrounded by innovation and technology reflective of industry. Our new High Value Engineering (HiVE) Centre in Ebbw Vale is due to open at the former Monwel factory site in 2025.
In partnership with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Welsh Government, Tech Valleys, and education, we’re planning an £8.5 million investment in an Advanced Engineering Centre close to our Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone campus, which will offer high-quality engineering education to equip young people with skills for the future.
The project is currently in the construction phase, with building work due to be completed by October 2024 in time to welcome students, including those enrolled onto engineering courses at Coleg Gwent from Autumn 2025.
The carbon-neutral and entirely digital education facility, will train the future workforce in advanced engineering disciplines such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, autonomous manufacturing, simulation, and augmented reality. The curriculum will be designed and led by industry experts, delivering new courses at levels 3, 4, 5 and 6, bringing excellence and expertise to the area and boosting the local economy.
Bringing together industry and education in high-value engineering, the HiVE Centre will offer research and development opportunities for industry partners, and it will be a base for school and employer outreach programmes, benefiting the wider community.