Enta CIC has just completed the biggest project management exercise of its thirty year history — the complete redesign and refitting of its new flagship premises at Mill Wharf, Aston. I was very pleased to get the guided tour — and lunch — from Pam Wood and Charlotte Light just before Christmas. I don’t think I have ever seen two people so proud of their organisation’s new premises and facilities.

After more than a year of research, planning and negotiation Enta successfully agreed terms with property group Cannock who purchased Mill Wharf and organised refurbishment by Heyford Contracting to Enta’s specifications.

The refurbishment was financed by the developers and Enta has taken a 20-year lease with a view to creating a strong work-based learning, training, careers guidance and social enterprise hub at the gateway of Birmingham’s Learning Quarter. A successful capital bid to the LSC will fund the purchase of further training equipment for the Centre.

The brightly painted Mill Wharf building has the air of a retro cruise liner – fitting for Enta’s vision to progress learners to new life destinations – and is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

The building is divided into Training, Conferencing, Nursery, Café and Office areas over two floors. The Training Centre has 11 rooms equipped for the vocational and functional skill areas offered to young people and adult learners, a careers library and a training café opening to the public on the 15th Feb 2010.

The beautifully appointed first floor Conferencing Suite has capacity for up to 120 delegates and is flooded with natural light. It offers full in-house hot and cold catering and free parking.

There are plans in 2010 to extend Enta’s range of social enterprises by the opening of a custom-equipped 45 place Day Care Nursery to serve the local area and offer Care to Learn places for learners.

Kevin Hayes, Enta’s CEO says, “We are very excited about this long awaited move. It gives Enta even greater opportunities to impact the lives of young people and adults facing barriers to training and employment. We look forward to welcoming learners and clients to our well equipped and well located new Centre”.

Enta’s move provides the organisation with stronger income streams and the potential to enter new markets, and will help generate additional revenue to underpin its core work.

If you would like to see the building and have a tour, contact Charlotte Light on 0121 380 4800 – she’d be delighted to introduce you to Mill Wharf.

Enta really have raised the bar for third sector training providers working with young people. Congratulations to everyone involved.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Welcome. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.