Willmott Dixon has been chosen by Bolton College of Medical Sciences (BCMS) for a new medical and clinical skills training facility located at the Royal Bolton Hospital site in Farnworth.
Procured using the Procure Partnerships framework, BCMS will provide best-in-class training opportunities for healthcare professionals in what is intended as a transformational blueprint for training NHS staff.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Bolton, Bolton College, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council, designed to give people a direct route into clinical healthcare employment, with a focus on practical, skills-based learning in a live hospital environment.
In addition to a range of new courses and apprenticeships that will provide entry-level and higher-level skills development for those aged 16+, BCMS will also deliver continual professional development opportunities for existing NHS staff. Apprenticeship provision will extend to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, with programmes including Nursing Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships in Care Leadership and Management.
BCMS, allocated £20m by the Levelling Up Fund last year, will deliver training to approximately 3,000 learners each year. Once open, it is expected to contribute £150m to the local economy over its lifetime. As part of the programme, Willmott Dixon will deliver £6m in social value for the community, largely through local employment and supply-chain expenditure.
Professor George E Holmes DL, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, said: “BCMS is arguably one of the most significant projects delivered in the North West in decades. Not only will it increase employment prospects in the local area and make healthcare professions more accessible, but it will also help alleviate NHS staffing pressures in Greater Manchester and provide improved levels of care in our community. It’s brilliant to see the build underway.”
Anthony Dillon, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “We are proud to continue to play our part in shaping the future of Bolton. BCMS will be built for the people of Bolton by the people of Bolton, and we will work with our local supply chain partners to create sustainable employment opportunities and a lasting positive legacy in this community.”
The project is due to complete in 2024, when the first intake of BCMS learners is due to start.
BCMS further builds on Willmott Dixon’s pedigree of building world class learning facilities within the higher education sector. At the University of Warwick, the company have delivered the award winning Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, further south, in 2020 the company handed over the Kent and Medway Medical School to the University of Kent, providing state-of-the-art medical education and research facilities.
