THE keys to a new education centre have been handed to a college principal.

Mike Hopkins, Middlesbrough College principal, took delivery of the keys to MC6 Sixth Form building on Friday.

The MC6 sixth-form centre and sports facilities cost £6.5m and has been designed by Niven Architects and built by Miller Construction.

It is expected to attract hundreds of new AS and A level students to Middlesbrough College and is hoped to increase the academic and sporting achievement levels within the college and the town.

The A-level pass rate at Middlesbrough College exceeded the national average this year after 70 per cent of students received A* to C grades.

MC6 is part of the development of Middlehaven, a former derelict brownfield site and the largest regeneration scheme outside London.

The centre is sister to the RIBA award-winning main Middlesbrough College which cost £68m and was opened in 2008.

A spokeswoman for the college said: "The building honours the importance of Middlehaven in Middlesbrough's history by retaining the Victorian facade of a former warehouse."