MULTI-million pound designs to revolutionise further education in Herefordshire have been unveiled.

Images of the Hereford Learning Village show how the three city colleges in Folly Lane will form closer links to improve the quality of post-16 teaching in the county.

Central to the plans is an extensive learning resource centre, which will provide a range of facilities, including a library, canteen, and social room for students of all colleges to share.

The learning resource centre, which will also be capable of holding academic conferences and exhibitions in its lecture and seminar halls, is the first phase of the Hereford Learning Village project.

A joint funding bid by the colleges and the Learning and Skills Council has been sent to Advantage West Midlands and the Rural Regeneration Zone for the £2.7 million resource centre.

Learning and Skills Council spokeswoman Vanessa Winters explained why the village will be constructed on a step-by-step basis.

"As the project developed it became clear that, due to the scale and the potential timeframe for development, it would not be practical to submit one bid for funding to deliver the entire project," she said.

"The current situation is that bids for phase one have been submitted and the local learning and skills council is optimistic the bids will be successful and work will be able to begin within the next 12 months," she added.

If this is successful, further bids will be made to improve landscaping, parking and pedestrian access, as well as demolishing some of the 1950s buildings and replacing them with modern classrooms and work shops.

The master plan has been revealed at an exciting time for the Herefordshire College of Technology, which has announced an annual profit for the first time since 1993.

Principal Dr Paul Loncharich explained how his college had turned an operating deficit of £1.3million in 2000 into a surplus of £74,000 for last year.

"First and foremost, we have a very dedicated, loyal and committed staff here, who have stuck with the college through some very tough times," he said.

Team work had been excellent and the management and board of governors should be thanked for their work.

"But the last few years have been difficult for all parts of the public sector and certain government initiatives made our job at the college even harder," he said.

"Thankfully times have changed and we are now looking more confident and optimistic." added.