UP TO 400 construction staff worked around the clock to ensure the new-look Bournville College was ready to welcome students for the new academic year.

Sitting on a 4.2-acre site on the former MG Rover works site at Longbridge, the striking design is a world away from the tired-looking former polytechnic building the college had called home since 1972.

The cramped classrooms and uninspiring interiors of the old site on Bristol Road South have been replaced with spacious studios and workshops fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows so passers-by can catch a glimpse of the students hard at work.

The sound of hammers and drills is long gone, and the building is now filled with students’ chatter as classmates gather around tables in an open-plan area known as the Street, where sunlight streams in from skylights above.

“It’s been a busy last few weeks, but it looks fantastic,” said Dave Collins, assistant principal for estates at the college, as he surveys the new surroundings.

“We had to make sure we were open for business by September 12, which was when the enrolment process started. Everyone has worked incredibly hard to get to this point.”

Traditional classrooms have been given a high-tech twist with computerised screens showing lesson timetables outside every door.