CASH-STRAPPED Birmingham Metropolitan College is axing its state-of-the-art construction skills campus in Brierley Hill and moving half of the facility's courses out of the borough.

The multi-campus FE college will be closing the doors on its Advanced Technology Centre, at The Waterfront, when the lease ends in September next year.

B-Met bosses have stressed "there are no redundancies anticipated" as a result of the centre's closure and they say the college, which acquired the ATC when it merged with Stourbridge College in 2013, will continue to offer a "full range of courses" at alternative campuses.

Carpentry, joinery, plumbing, electrical installation and gas provision courses will move to the Stourbridge College site in Hagley Road where £1.5million is to be invested in new construction facilities.

But courses in plastering, bricklaying, painting and decorating are to be shipped out to B-Met's Erdington Skills Centre - 18 miles away.

The news has left Dudley South MP Mike Wood "furious".

He said: "It's an absolutely ridiculous decision. It's clearly terrible for the students and a loss for Brierley Hill.

"It's got to undermine the confidence of employers that B-Met are taking manufacturing and advanced technologies seriously. It's a very short-sighted decision.

"Alongside the art and design centre - it's the only FE institution in Dudley South. We want to keep these courses within the immediate local area.

"Erdington is almost impossible for people in this area of Dudley to get to by public transport in a reasonable amount of time."

A college spokesman said the move to the campus in Erdington, Birmingham, which has recently undergone a £4 million revamp, would enable "students to study these subjects at our centre of excellence, which is well placed to meet the needs of the region’s employers".

She added: "We will be working with all our prospective students to help them identify the right course at the right venue for them.”

Wendy Stevens, head of Stourbridge College, said moving more students to Hagley Road would "further invigorate Stourbridge College" and she added: “We are delighted to be investing a further £1.5 million in our construction facilities at Stourbridge College.

“This investment provides our students with a more rewarding learning experience as they will benefit from state-of-the-art facilities to help them gain skills and their qualifications.

"By studying at our main campus, students will have greater access to all our resources and support services, including careers advice and guidance with university and job applications.

“The investment also demonstrates the college’s desire to continuously improve teaching for all students while meeting the needs of employers.”

B-Met bosses say they "want to retain all members of staff" and they are currently holding a consultation on the changes.

Confirmation of the ATC's impending closure comes after a raft of redundancies were made at the college to cut costs and after Skills Minister Nick Boles MP sent in the FE Commissioner to investigate whether B-Met bosses were capable of reversing the organisation's financial woes after they had to seek extra cash from the Skills Funding Agency.

Following his visit, the Commissioner said the college executive appeared to have an "impressive" recovery plan in place but Mr Boles said "the next few months will be critical to determine whether or not financial recovery can be achieved".