A £5 MILLION centre for health and care could open at Colchester Institute to facilitate high level apprenticeships.

The Centre for Excellence will feature 2,000m square of realistic working space and clinical facilities, big enough for about 33 flats, which replicate surgical and medical hospital wards as well as the accident and emergency department.

Creating the vision, which is being backed by Colchester General Hospital, is reliant on securing £2.5 million from Essex County Council’s Local Growth Fund.

On the board’s say so, a sum of £5 million will be devolved to county to deliver Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and health and social care provision at both Colchester Institute’s Braintree and Colchester campuses.

Should the bid be approved, it could plug the gap between a high number of vacancies and a shortage of young people entering the industry.

Melissa Dowdeswell, deputy director of nursing at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have worked in partnership with Colchester Institute for some time to raise awareness of the wide range of training opportunities they provide to help people into a career in healthcare.

“This has become even more important in recent years as both the local population and demand for health services has continued to grow.

“The partnership includes an apprenticeship agreement, which sees the institute provide education for members of our staff who are completing healthcare apprenticeships.

“We welcome the proposal to create a centre of excellence for health and care at the institute.

“By providing courses in high demand occupations, such as theatre support practitioners and nursing auxiliaries, it will play a vital role in growing local talent, while also helping to develop the next generation of healthcare professionals to work in the NHS across north east Essex.”

Essex County Council and Colchester Institute will match fund £1.25 million each for the ambitious project, which is anticipated to be completed by January 2020.

The centre will be located within the college’s Sheepen Road campus by building a fourth storey on to its south wing.

By doing so, Colchester Institute aims to accommodate an extra 390 learners by 2020/21, including 120 studying at Level 3 and above, and 90 apprenticeships.

A spokesman for Colchester Institute said: “The college has submitted capital funding bids to the Local Growth Fund and is awaiting the outcome at this time.

“We hope to be in a position to provide further information in the new year.”