Revised plans for a revamp which could be worth £10m in total will now go ahead after the original £70m masterplan was dumped after failing to attract funding.

The Enquirer understands that the first work will probably involve O’Rourke refurbishing and recladding the main tower building in a contract worth £7m.

Laing O’Rourke’s appointed design team, led by Aedas, will create a masterplan on behalf of the college to address provision across the campus in Oldham for short, medium and long term works.

The design and build contract was procured through the North West Construction Hub following a six week mini competition.

Laing O’Rourke will work with the college to provide new apprenticeships, align the curriculum with industry needs in mind and support community related activities.

The firm also came up with an innovative approach to the college’s capital expenditure programme to make best use of the funds available for the redevelopment.

Shelagh McNerney, Oldham College’s director of capital programmes and regeneration at Oldham College, said: “The college needs repairs and improvement and with challenging economic and investment conditions, it is essential that we are efficient with every penny as well as visionary about what we can achieve to make the learning environment more inspiring for Oldham’s young people.”

The team from Laing O’Rourke will be based on site at Oldham College for the duration of the project.