Cardiff and Vale College opened by First Minister

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Minister for Education and Skills Huw Lewis have officially opened Cardiff and Vale College’s £45m new city centre campus in the heart of the Welsh capital.

The landmark building designed by BDP features 130 teaching rooms including specialist labs, workshops, IT studios and two vast learning and skills centres. It is home to 4,000 students studying across 200 different courses with thousands more engaged through the year on short courses, employer training and apprenticeships.

The First Minister said: 'This is what the future of further education looks like in Wales. This new city centre campus is truly an inspirational building which will give learners in Wales access to a wide-ranging, flexible curriculum in a world class learning environment.'

The Education Minister added: 'This is yet another example of the Welsh government putting its money where its mouth is and investing in exceptional education facilities for our learners. Modern and vibrant, this new college is providing a learning environment for the 21st century. It will inspire its students while benefiting the local community long into the future.'

CAVC principal and chief executive Mike James said: 'I am delighted to be able to welcome First Minister Carwyn Jones and Minister for Education Huw Lewis to our new citycentre campus. We could not have developed this state of the art facility without the support of the Welsh Government and we are truly grateful for its backing.'

The 16,000 sqm building brings together many of the college’s activities onto a single campus and creates a real life environment for skills training with open and welcoming faculty clusters set around a public route through the heart of the college. Its distinctive wedge shape connects the interior spaces to south facing terraces with views towards Cardiff Bay. The oversailing roof is angled to accommodate a 1,850 sqm photovoltaic array, and the fine dining sky restaurant is located under the northernmost tip with views across the city towards the Millennium Stadium.