A 'FANTASTIC' series of opportunities for young people could be coming Okehampton's way if the principal of the town's community college succeeds in his big plan.

Chris Powell, who joined the college earlier this year, is confident a £3-million new sports centre for the community and £2-million technology block for the college will not be the only things the town will be celebrating two years down the line.

The principal and his staff are preparing a bid to the Government for Technology College status which will raise standards in technology, science and mathematics and have a knock-on

effect in all subjects, bringing in around £150,000 each year for the foreseeable future.

There are also plans to set up a vocational training centre to keep youngsters in Okehampton and provide them with the skills they need to suit the local employment market. Mr Powell would also like to see a youth activity/social centre alongside this.

He said: 'There are a lot of issues to explore at the moment but I am talking with a very large national organisation involved with young people who are very interested in the opportunities around here.

'All of these things are designed to help young people in the community and if we can get them all to work, there will be a fantastic series of opportunities for them.'

Okehampton currently has the lowest percentage of 16-19-year-olds in full-time education in Devon and this is something Mr Powell wants to see change.

'The low percentage is purely because of the isolated geographical nature of the area and the traditionally agricultural-based economy,' he said. 'Very often, young people leave school and go into farming where they get the experience but not the qualifications.'

Vocational courses with private sector trainers have been introduced by the college this year but a dedicated centre in Okehampton would prevent students having to travel to Exeter, Tavistock or Plymouth for tutoring.

'What we need to provide training for is the young people who are going to go into trades — this type of practical training is sadly lacking in the town at the moment,' he said.

Mr Powell is currently heavily involved in the Community Safety Partnership, which involves the police and West Devon Borough Council, where he chairs the youth affairs section. Through this he is championing the need for a youth activity centre which would provide something for young people to do and make them less likely to cause problems in the community.

'I think it is pretty important that the centre is not at the college because when the young people have been here all day it's the last place they want to be in the evenings and at weekends,' he said.

He added that although young people had a lot of good ideas, their voices were not always heard and he was trying to raise their profile and needs through the community safety partnership.

Mr Powell said it made sense to combine a youth centre with a vocational training centre, acquire technology college status at the same time as the building of a new technology block in September 2003 — and join the block to the new sports centre which would save money in construction.

Okehampton College is aiming to submit its bid for technology status in March but to do this it has to raise £50,000. Grants of £5,000 and £7,000 have come from Waitrose and the Okehampton United Non-Ecclesiastical Trust and £10,000 from an anonymous source.

Mr Powell, who is looking for further donations or pledges, has praised everyone who has contributed so far.

Students from the college have been busy baking hundreds of mince-pies in celebration of the Waitrose donation.

In addition, the supermarket has agreed to provide £100 worth of ingredients every month for the next year to help food technology classes at the school.

Jean Harris, head of department at Okehampton College, said the donations have been extremely valuable to the school. Visits to Waitrose are also being planned for examination groups, where students will gain insight into product development, hygiene, safety and the management of a store.

There will also be regular visits from Waitrose food specialists to the college — the firm has already supplied aprons and a recipe display stand.

'We appreciate the link with the college and hope to continue if we are successful in the forthcoming technology bid,' said Mrs Harris.

She also praised the support given to the students by their parents, which was 'fantastic'.

'The college really does value work in food highly and sees it as a very important part of students' education and personal development,' she said.

The Waitrose donation is part of the store's Waitrose@School initiative, which aims to help educate children about all aspects of food — from the sourcing of ingredients to food nutrition, packaging, tasting and retailing.

John Webb, Waitrose manager, said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting Okehampton College with this exciting educational programme — it's brilliant.'