PERSHORE, WORCESTERSHIRE – WCG is thrilled to announce it has successfully
secured nearly £4.8m in grant funding from the Department for Education’s Construction
Skills Capacity Fund. This major investment will fund a rapid and transformative expansion
of the Pershore Construction Academy, scaling training capacity from 67 learners to over
275.
With significant growth in construction across Worcestershire, the expanded provision will
directly support booming infrastructure and housing development across the region,
including the 10,000-home development planned near Worcestershire Parkway Station.
The Academy was initially launched at the Pershore campus last September in 2025,
operating out of disused landscaping barns following the strategic consolidation of provision
from Evesham College. This new financial backing will now allow us to propel our
construction training offer to the next level.
Sara-Jane Watkins, Principal and Chief Executive at WCG, commented:
“We are absolutely thrilled with this announcement. Securing this £4.8 million funding is truly
game-changing for our Pershore College campus and allows us to respond aggressively to
the considerable growth in construction we are seeing across Wychavon and the wider
Worcestershire region.
We have been delighted to work alongside our local MPs, Nigel Huddleston and Dame
Harriett Baldwin, who have offered fantastic support for this bid. We are also incredibly
grateful for the collaboration with Wychavon District Council, the team behind the
Worcestershire Local Skills Improvement Plan, Worcestershire County Council, and the
Local Enterprise Partnership. Their shared vision has been instrumental in making this a
reality.”
Currently, the Pershore Construction Academy offers full-time foundational training in
carpentry, plumbing, and multiskills. While we do not yet offer Construction apprenticeships
at Pershore, this DfE capacity funding will allow us to broaden our curriculum significantly to
introduce a dedicated apprenticeship centre for all construction trades.
The expanded, industry-standard facilities will enable the introduction of critical new trades,
including electrical, painting and decorating, brickwork, and groundworks. It will also pave
the way for advanced progression routes, including T Levels and Higher Education pathways
such as the HNC and HND in Construction Management.
Rather than embarking on carbon-intensive new builds, the project will focus on sustainable
estate rationalisation. A disused 1,300 square metre machine workshop on the campus will
be completely renovated into a dedicated, state-of-the-art academy building. Additionally, the
adjacent Norbury Hostel will be transformed into the Pershore Construction Academy
Apprenticeship Centre.
For more information on the Pershore Construction Academy and upcoming course
enrolments, please visit the WCG website at:
https://wcg.ac.uk/page/11/construction-and-the-built-environment
