EditorPORT TALBOT: Victorian school building to be transformed into vocational training centre for teenagers — with a stunning new courtyard at its heart
Neath Port Talbot Council has secured planning permission to convert the former Education Library and Resource Centre on the corner of Reginald Street and Villiers Street in Velindre into a purpose-built vocational training facility for teenagers — with a dramatic new covered courtyard at the heart of the design.
The new centre has been named Trefelin Pathways to Progression, a name chosen following consultation with young people. It will provide practical, bilingual vocational training for learners aged 14 to 16 across a wide range of subjects, in preparation for new national vocational qualifications due to be introduced in September 2027.
The centrepiece of the design is a dramatic transformation of the building’s central courtyard, which will be enclosed with a lightweight ETFE canopy — the same translucent material used in structures like the Eden Project — creating a bright, weather-protected social and learning space at the heart of the building. Artist’s impressions show a soaring timber-lined atrium with tiered seating steps, indoor planting and open café-style tables and chairs.
An artist’s impression of the covered courtyard atrium planned for the centre, which will be enclosed with a lightweight canopy to create a weather-protected social and learning space (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)An artist’s impression showing the interior layout of the proposed Trefelin Pathways to Progression centre in Port Talbot, including the covered courtyard atrium and surrounding rooms (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)The rest of the building will be fitted out with purpose-built workshops covering construction trades, hair and beauty, hospitality and catering, animal care, engineering, creative media, travel and tourism and emerging digital pathways. All provision will be bilingual.
The project uses what the architects describe as a fabric first, low carbon retrofit approach — prioritising the improvement of the building’s structure and fabric rather than relying on mechanical systems to make it energy efficient. New green spaces, improved landscaping and upgraded drainage will also be delivered as part of the scheme.
The centre will allow schools across Neath Port Talbot to expand their existing Pathways to Progression offer, giving pupils the chance to study vocational qualifications delivered by specialist tutors with real industry backgrounds in purpose-built facilities. The council says the development will ensure parity between vocational and academic qualifications across NPT schools.
Funding comes from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, and the project is being delivered as part of the council’s Strategic Schools Improvement Programme. Detailed design work will now progress following the planning approval, with the council focusing on finalising internal layouts and coordinating specialist vocational spaces.
Work to date has included extensive engagement with residents, schools, service teams and technical specialists. The council says that once complete, the centre will provide a dedicated facility supporting practical skills development, employment pathways and community learning for the people of Neath Port Talbot.
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