WARRINGTON is set to welcome a new university technical college to the town that aims to inspire the great engineering minds of tomorrow.

The Government has confirmed that Warrington will house one of six new colleges, which will open in September 2015.

It is one of the first confirmed developments for the stadium quarter and will be housed on land between Central Station and The Halliwell Jones Stadium, which has been gifted by Warrington Borough Council.

The £10 million college in Warrington, which will be funded by central Government, will be sponsored by the University of Chester while working in partnership with Sellafield Ltd and Tenet Consultants plus a range of local employers.

The college will focus on energy engineering and nuclear engineering and will be for teenagers aged between 14 and 19.

Professor Peter Harrop, pro-vice chancellor and provost of the university’s Warrington campus said there is a ‘tremendous appetite’ in Warrington for engineering skills.

He added: “Warrington has a diverse range of engineering companies will enable the college to have that level of diversity in its courses.”

Lynda Moore, deputy provost at the Warrington Campus of the University of Chester said: “What we want to do is change people’s perception of engineering. It’s not all dirty and heavy work.

“We hope the college will be able to attract more females into the industry.”

The college aims to meet the recommendations of last year's Warrington Skills Commission, which reported a shortfall in engineering skills in the borough.

Clr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council said: “This is a fabulous coup for the town. Warrington excels in the nuclear and engineering sectors.

"The UTC will train, equip and prepare young people for careers in these sectors, address the skills gap and so grow and protect the future of these sectors in the town.

“The announcement also provides the trigger that kick starts development on our Stadium Quarter site and the ongoing renaissance of our town centre.

“On a regional and national scale it will attract greater investment to the borough and north west as a whole as employers will want to be based where the much-needed skill set is available.”