Wales’ landmark new £6.5M Construction centre officially opens in Swansea

The Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC), based at University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s (UWTSD) new £350million SA1 Swansea Waterfront development, has officially opened. 

CWIC is a landmark agreement between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and a consortium led by UWTSD.

CWIC will support future workforce needs, skills development and innovation in the Welsh construction sector.

The new centre will provide state-of-the-art facilities and training for individuals and construction companies, with CITB investing £6.5m. The CWIC hub will provide a ConstructZone, classrooms, dedicated IT suites and conference facilities. A dedicated scaffolding training facility will also be sited close by.

Alongside the hub based in Swansea, CWIC is already delivering courses across Wales through partner colleges, Coleg Sir Gâr, Coleg Cambria, Coleg y Cymoedd and Coleg Ceredigion as well as the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

It is estimated that 1,200 students will be trained through CWIC facilities across Wales each year.

The official opening was attended by representatives from across the construction and education sector, including CITB Board Chair Peter Lauener, CITB CEO Sarah Beale, UWTSD Vice-Chancellor Professor Medwin Hughes, DL, and UWTSD Council Chair, The Venerable Randolph Thomas.

The event also marked the launch of the Construction Skills and Innovation Roadmap for Wales. The roadmap has been produced to highlight the need for an integrated strategy for workforce development over the next decade for the sector.

CWIC, through its pan-Wales Hub and Spoke delivery model is ideally placed to oversee the delivery of this strategy in conjunction with the CITB and UWTSD.

The latest CITB Construction Skills Network research predicts the Welsh Construction industry is set to grow quicker than any other part of the UK – with over 12,000 new roles set to be created in the industry by 2022. The new centre will help meet the skills needs for future projects including the South Wales Metro, Wylfa Newydd and major construction activity that will follow, regional, city and growth deals across Wales.