BUILDING work is finally under way on a new £7.5million college.

Contractors have begun work on the Canvey Skills Campus, in Meppel Avenue, which will offer vocational courses for 14 to 19-year-olds, and evening classes to adults.

The skills centre is being built on the site of the old Castle View School, which moved to a multi-million pound complex in Furtherwick Road in September.

It will offer qualifications in areas such as plumbing, mechanics and bricklaying. Essex County councillor Stephen Castle, councillor responsible for education, said: “I’m delighted building work is finally under way.

“The Canvey Skills Campus is fantastic news for local young people who will benefit each year from the courses and training programme available, but also for local businesses that will have a supply of skilled individuals ready and able to enter employment.”

The future of the project was thrown into disarray in March after Thundersley-based Seevic College pulled out due to financial problems.

The campus is now being run by Prospects College, which has four other vocational centres in Southend, Basildon and Brentwood.

Pam Challis, chairman of the Castle Point regeneration partnership, said: “Improved skills opportunities for the people of Canvey has been a key objective of the council, and I’m delighted the building work on the new skills campus is under way.”

The Canvey Skills Campus will open in autumn 2012.

Designs for the new college include a hexagon-shaped centre which will accommodate a communal networking and learning area for students, with teaching spaces positioned on all six sides of the building.

It is expected up to 200 pupils will take places in the first year. The maximum capacity will be about 300.