Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds joined Coleg Gwent Chief Executive Guy Lacey and Head of Learner Services Sian Hughes this week for a tour around the Torfaen Learning Zone, which opened to pupils earlier this year, and had its official opening in October.

Working in partnership between Torfaen Council and Coleg Gwent, the new post-16 education college is an investment of £24m, with funding from the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme.

Accommodating over 1300 students, the college includes state-of-the-art facilities such as a new performance hall, soundproof music suites, and plentiful space for students to socialise. The college also offers a huge range of A-Level courses, vocational qualifications, and foundation degrees.

On visiting the Learning Zone, the Torfaen MP said: ‘It was fantastic to visit the Torfaen Learning Zone and see the first-class facilities that our young people have to learn in. It has been a tough 18 months for both staff and students, and it was great to see them back in the classrooms.

Seeing this project come to fruition is testament to the continued investment in our young people by both Torfaen Council and the Welsh Government, and I pay tribute to my Torfaen colleague Lynne Neagle who spent many years campaigning for this.’