The council, which is yet to confirm a site for its plans, wants to build a commercial hotel and convention centre which would also serve as a training facility for those learning the trade and established professionals looking to further their skills.
Oldham council leader Jim McMahon said: “At present there is a limited hotel provision for residents, visitors and business customers in our borough. That needs to be addressed but we also want to go much further and deliver something of regional – and national – significance.
“We’ve been holding initial talks with the Manchester Hoteliers Association and Oldham College to potentially deliver something innovative that will not only plug that hotel provision gap but also offer some fantastic new training and employment opportunities.”
Learning opportunities
Oldham council believes the project, which could include restaurants, bars and a spa, could become a blueprint for potential nationwide expansion of the scheme.
The idea is that it would be run by a hotel management company as both a commercial and training facility.
Those attending for training would learn through a combination of structured courses and on-the-job training carried out by full time professionals meaning guests would be served by students and apprentices alongside full-time trained staff.
Private investment
Plans are so far at an early stage with the council’s cabinet due to consider a report recommending it invest £90k in a feasibility study to assess a range of factors such as space requirements, demand and cost.
If approved, McMahon said it would mean the council would look for private investors to make the project a reality.
”As a co-operative council we are firmly committed to providing leadership on innovative schemes like this that helps people into work and brings jobs into Oldham by working with partners across all sectors to deliver outcomes that benefit everyone,” he said.
The council will decide at a meeting on Monday (27 February) whether it will invest the money on initial plans for the academy.