Wonderful Worksop – Bridging the Higher Skills Gap at the Bridge Skills Hub

With it being Higher Education week here at the RNN Group, this month, we thought it only right to promote wonderful Worksop’s Bridge Skills Hub and all it has to offer in terms of Higher Education!

Building Futures in Worksop: The Bridge Skills Hub

In the heart of Worksop town centre lies an inspiring new centre of learning and development – The Bridge Skills Hub. Opened in early 2023 and supported by Bassetlaw District Council, the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, and local education providers, the Hub is transforming how people in North Nottinghamshire access higher education, skills training, and community resources.

The Bridge Skills Hub occupies a refurbished building at Bridge Court, Bridge Place, Worksop (postcode S80 1DT). Before the transformation, the site was underused. The regeneration project repurposed it into a state-of-the-art education and skills facility.

The official opening in March 2023 marked the moment this vision became reality.

Mission and Purpose: Why The Bridge Matters

At its core, The Bridge is about access, opportunity, and regeneration. Its goals include:

• Closing skills gaps in the Bassetlaw / North Nottinghamshire region, especially in health, digital, management, and green technology sectors.
• Raising aspirations by making higher education pathways viable locally – reducing the need for students to travel far or relocate.
• Supporting adult learners, people who wish to retrain or upskill, alongside more traditional students. 
• Serving as a civic and business hub: making rooms available for training, meetings, conferences, and community events.

Because it is owned and managed by Bassetlaw District Council, the space has flexibility to cater to education providers, employers, and learners alike.

What The Bridge Offers: Facilities and Courses

Facilities and Spaces

The design and build of The Bridge set it up to be versatile, modern, and learner-friendly.

Key features include:

• Six classrooms (reconfigurable for different sizes)
• An IT suite with advanced connectivity and display technology
  A large auditorium (80-seat theatre style, expandable) for events, open days, training seminars
• Clinical teaching rooms, including a mock ward / clinical suite, for health and social care training
• Breakout and informal spaces for relaxation, group work, meetings
• Private offices (for staff, visiting educators)

These facilities mean that students can engage in hands-on, practice-based learning (especially in health), not just theory.

The building is also available for hire for business events, employer training, community meetings, and more – making it a hub for the wider area, not just learners.

Accessibility is considered too: step-free entrance, intercoms, hearing loop systems in some areas, and signage to support various users.

Course Offerings and Learning Pathways

The Bridge delivers higher education and skills-level courses, often in partnership with the RNN Group and other institutions.

Some of the key course areas are:

• Computing / Digital – HNC / HND level in Computing, and a flexible “HN Flex” model where students can pick modules if they cannot commit full-time.
  
• Health and Social Care / Healthcare Professions Support – Courses that train learners toward roles in health and care settings.
  
• Marketing / Business / Leadership and Management – Higher-level study in these areas for those aiming at managerial, digital, or organisational roles.
  
• Access to Higher Education / Foundation / Bridge programmes – To help learners who may not have formal qualifications get prepared for higher-level study.

Courses are offered part-time and full-time, depending on commitment and student needs.

Because many of the higher education courses at The Bridge are accredited via partner universities, students often gain credentials equivalent to university-level qualifications – but without needing to leave Worksop.

One inventive addition is the Fusion Energy Café, themed around fusion energy (and designed like the interior of a tokamak). This is intended not only to serve food and drinks, but also to spark interest and awareness in STEM / energy sectors, especially as energy transition and clean tech become more important locally.

Find out more about adult learning at The Bridge

Early Impact and Community Significance

Even in its short time operating, The Bridge has already made a mark:

• In its first year, around 80 students enrolled on higher education programmes at The Hub.
• Over 450 participants have engaged with the “Futures’ Restart Scheme” via The Bridge, with more than 85 progressing into employment.
• The Hub is contributing to town-centre regeneration, bringing more footfall, activity, and optimism to the area. 
• It is helping to align education with local employer needs (especially in healthcare, digital, energy) to address skills gaps.

Local leaders have also pointed out that The Bridge helps “raise aspirations,” create new choices, and provide routes into more advanced careers right where people live.

A Bridge into the Future

The Bridge Skills Hub in Worksop is more than a building – it’s a statement of intent. It says: people in this region deserve access to high-quality, practical education and training; we can regenerate town centres through knowledge and opportunity; and local ambitions can be matched with local pathways.

If you’re a learner curious about higher education, a business seeking training facilities, or someone passionate about local regeneration, The Bridge is worthy of attention.