Our Lady & St. John Vocational Centre
- Location: Blackburn
- Client: Salford Diocese
- Type: Further Education
- Value: £5.2m
- Status: Completed
This new 300-place Vocational Centre provides students with the necessary skills to take out into the work place after completion of their studies.
The school governors sought a new facility that would inspire current and future pupils to continue with their education and attain a vocation that would ultimately lead to full time employment. This new building was not to resemble a school building or workplace, but a hybrid facility that catered for the vocational courses provided at the school.
Faculties include a special needs inclusion support space, a ‘flat’ to teach pupils life skills, a professional working and training kitchen, restaurant, hair salon and beauty treatment studio, fully equipped fitness studio, digital imaging studio, engineering department and fully equipped CAD room.
A central, flexible multi-use space was designed around which the different vocations could be located. This forms a ‘heart’ to the building where performances, seminars and events can be held using the retractable seating as a means to provide different functions within the space.
