A high-tech print centre is set to open at the Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham.

The centre, which cost 150,000 to build, is part of the School of Print Media and Graphics. It will house 500,000 worth of equipment including a new five-colour Speedmaster 74 donated by Heidelberg. A Heidelberg Trendsetter CTP system will be installed imminently. Imation and Printpak also donated products to the centre.

The school, which hopes to attract around 200 pupils a year, runs a range of courses from machine and commercial printing to bookbinding and print finishing.

City & Guilds, NVQs and Modern Apprenticeships taught in conjunction with local printers and aimed at 17 to 24-year-olds are all on offer, and the school is in discussions about the provision of a foundation degree in print.

"We are trying to get across to young people that this is a vibrant, high-technology industry," said school head Fiona Pagett. "With this centre, we have moved away from the old workshop environment and are emulating the best employers."

Local MP Gisela Stuart will officially open the centre today (12 October).

Story by Fay Schopen