STAFF and students at Askham Bryan College are celebrating after the Government named it a Centre of Vocational Excellence and awarded it £600,000.

The highly-prized CoVE award will, over the next three years, see the development of a food chain technology centre at the York campus.

Facilities will begin with a milk processing plant which will include a robotic milking parlour and an IT-based dairy management system.

One of the college's objectives is to improve links in the food chain from producer to processor, to retailer to the consumer.

Prof Gareth Rees, college principal said: "We are absolutely delighted with the news. One of our key aims is to equip students with the most relevant, practical and modern skills which are needed by food industry employers.

"With this in mind, as well as building the centre, we are establishing working partnerships with those in the food industry to ensure we meet their training requirements.

"The benefit of employers being actively involved will be immense. The centre will focus on the whole food process from production through to processing to marketing and selling."

Askham Bryan is already working with Stockbridge Technology Centre, Yorkshire Forward and the Higher York and York Progression Partnership.

Discussions are also under way with the University of Leeds, to which the college is affiliated, about providing honours and foundation degree programmes relating to food chain technology.

Prof Rees said diversification had a high profile within the industry with farmers increasingly required to look "outside the box" at what they do.

"Our courses are aimed at providing a means and the skills to develop this into a practical reality," he said.

"The Curry Report emphasises the importance of re-connecting the food chain with primary producers - the centre will play an important role in developing this within the region."

The centre will offer flexible, modular training particularly designed to attract non-traditional learners.

Redundant farm buildings will be converted into two production units, lecture and seminar rooms, a demonstration laboratory, project workshops and office accommodation.

A milk processing plant is planned to add value to milk produced in the college dairy unit and to provide a good practice demonstration model for both students and partner organisations.

The plant will include an on-site pasteurisation unit, a retail outlet for one or more of cheese, yoghurt and flavoured milk.

The college plans to work in partnership with established businesses.

A second production line is expected to be added to demonstrate different processes, such as poultry or red meat.