29 Jan 2003

The Ministry of Defence has announced that Interserve and its consortium partner TQ Education and Training Ltd are preferred bidder for the £250 million  Defence Sixth Form College Public Private Partnership. The project involves the design and construction of the college followed by the provision of facilities management and educational services over a 28-year period.

The contract is expected to be finalised before April with work on the project beginning shortly afterwards.  The scheduled opening date for the college is September 2005. Interserve Project Services will manage the design and construction, 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.
The value of these project and facilities services is approximately £90 million.  TQ Education and Training will be responsible for education services, IT management, library facilities, sport and leisure services and pastoral care.

The Defence Sixth Form College, located at the former Garats Hay barracks in Woodhouse Eaves near Loughborough,  will be a modern, residential, technical educational establishment with a capacity of about 340 MoD selected students. It will be a principal source of Technical Officer recruitment to all the UK armed forces and the MoD civil service, delivering around 165 young men and women educated to A level standard each year.

The genesis of the college was in the Strategic Defence Review, which identified an increased demand for technically-trained officers. The subsequent study by the Defence Training Review recommended the development of the Defence Sixth Form College modelled on the existing Army Sixth Form College at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire.

Dr Lewis Moonie MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence, said, "The College represents an exciting development of the successful Welbeck concept which offers an opportunity for young people to pursue rewarding careers in Defence."

The consortium, Minerva Education & Training Ltd, was formed specifically for this project and comprises Interserve Investments Plc, TQ Education and Training Ltd and HSBC Infrastructure Fund Management Ltd. Interserve Investments will manage Interserve's equity stake in the project.