Work set to begin on Cardiff and Vale College’s £119m investment in education and training for the Vale of Glamorgan

This week the contract was signed for Cardiff and Vale College’s £119m investment in the future of skills for the Vale of Glamorgan, working in partnership with the Vale Council and Welsh Government.

This £119m project will see two new campuses built in the Vale – a community Further Education (FE) campus in the heart of Barry Waterfront with easy access to public transport; and an innovative Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) at Cardiff Airport, adjacent to CAVC’s renowned International Centre for Aerospace Training (ICAT).

Work is now set to begin on both campuses during the summer, with both due to open in August 2027.

The 13,000sqm ATC will accommodate nearly 2,000 learners and more than 100 staff. Courses at this campus will be focussed on supporting economic development and meeting the skills needs of employers in advanced technologies and green skills – for both the emerging renewable technologies and the retrofit skills needed to meet Net Zero Carbon targets.

The 6,000sqm Barry Waterfront Campus will cater for up to 1,000 learners and nearly 80 staff. As well as classrooms offering provisions across a range of courses including courses for adults looking to develop new skills or progress in their careers, this campus will include active street frontages with a Hair and Beauty Salon and a Bistro/Restaurant that will be open to the public and run by students. There will also be an external garden terrace, classrooms and IT rooms, a covered external dining area and a courtyard with a grass lawn and seating areas.

The first Net Zero FE project in Wales, both campuses will become truly sustainable learning environments which will bring substantial community and economic development benefits to the Barry Waterfront Innovation Quarter and the Cardiff Airport and St Athan Enterprise Zone.

The project is being delivered through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.

Cardiff and Vale College Group Chief Executive Mike James said:

“We are delighted to take this major step forward in our investment in education and training across the region.

“It is with real pleasure that I can say that we are delivering on our commitment to provide first-class teaching and learning environments for learners and the community in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Waterfront Campus and Advanced Technology Centre will also cater to the current and future needs of employers across the Vale and the wider Capital Region.

“We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government, Vale of Glamorgan Council and Welsh Education Partnership Company to ensure this project will be the success that I know it will.”

CAVC Group Chair of Corporation Geraint Evans said:

“When Mike and I first came together in 2011 when Cardiff and Vale College was formed, we agreed that we would build two new campuses in the Vale of Glamorgan. Now, in 2025, we are finally at that stage.

“It’s an extremely exciting for the College, the community and the businesses we serve. It represents a major step forward that will bring sustainable community and economic benefits to the Vale for years to come.”

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells said:

“It is fantastic the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme is bringing these two new campuses to the Vale of Glamorgan. The Barry Waterfront campus and the Advanced Technology Centre will make a real difference to the Vale community.

“Not only will staff and learners benefit from high-quality and sustainable facilities, but it will allow learners to gain skills employers are looking for, opening up opportunities for everyone. I look forward to seeing how this project develops and seeing the benefits these state-of-the art facilities are having on learners and the wider community.”

Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: 

“This is wonderful news for the Vale of Glamorgan. The proposed multi-million-pound Waterfront campus and Advanced Technology Centre will be landmark developments for the county. They will bring modern, state of the art education facilities for learners across the Vale.

“I am very proud of our ongoing collaboration as public sector partners with Cardiff and Vale College and the Welsh Government in helping the College progress delivery of these exciting new educational schemes.

“The new campuses will offer much needed new education and vocational training opportunities and serve as an excellent example of how education can be a major driver for local regeneration and placemaking.”

This project has been match-funded by the Welsh Government through its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme aims to transform the learning experience of learners, ensuring they are taught in classrooms with the technologies and facilities needed to support the delivery of the Curriculum for Wales.