27 May 2004

On Thursday 27 May, primary school pupils from Leicestershire assisted Defence Minister Ivor Caplin M.P. when he laid a time capsule at the site of the new Welbeck- The Defence Sixth Form College in Woodhouse, Leicestershire.  Mr Caplin is also Chairman of Governors of Welbeck College.

The new college is being built and managed under a £300 million Public Private Partnering contract by the Minerva consortium comprising Interserve, TQ Education and Training Ltd and HSBC.  The contract involves the design and construction of the college followed by the provision of educational services and facilities management over a 28-year period.                     

Senior military officers as well as members of the local community and current pupils from Welbeck College in Worksop attended the time capsule ceremony.   

                                                                                                      Mr Caplin said:

"The new Defence Sixth Form College is taking shape and will be an excellent facility for educating young people wishing to pursue rewarding careers in Defence. The time capsule reminds us of the history of the successful Welbeck Army Sixth Form College and also the companies who are constructing the new college and who will run it from 2005. I'm delighted that representatives from the local community are here today to help me mark a significant milestone in the construction project. It also shows the value we place on our links with the local community."

Christopher Duxbury of Minerva said;

"The new college is an exciting project which brings together the building and facilities management experience of Interserve and the teaching and support skills of TQ through the Minerva consortium. The design brief set out to provide an attractive yet functional and flexible design that links and promotes academic, pastoral and personal development. Building progress is very good and the project has created a huge interest from the local community with whom we are keen to work."

The time capsule contains photographs of the first students of the original Welbeck College, its Royal Charter and the Tweed jacket worn by students at Welbeck since 1953.  Local schools have contributed a poster; a picture drawn by Laura Harvey aged 9, a CD and examples of art and design.  The capsule will also contain books by the local history group.

The new Defence Sixth Form College will open in September 2005 and aims to be a centre of excellence for 340 boys and girls aged 16 to 18 wishing to pursue engineering, technical or scientific careers with the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or the MoD Civil Service. 

Construction of the new college started in April 2003 following the award of the contract to Minerva in January 2003, Interserve Project Services are managing the design and construction of the College and Interservefm will provide a full range of facilities management services including estates management, catering, cleaning and security, medical services, reception, helpdesk and clerical support, postal, travel and retail services, grounds maintenance, stores management and event management.

TQ Education and training will be responsible for education services, IT management, library facilities, sport and leisure services and pastoral care.