THE opening of a £900,000 centre in Loftus will offer new opportunities.

The Centre of Opportunity and Partnership, in the former Co-Op building on the High Street, officially opened on Wednesday.

Tees Valley Training and Enterprise Council, the Rural Development Programme, European Regional Development Fund, Redcar and Cleveland College, the Tudor Trust, the regional development agency One NorthEast, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and the Loftus Development Trust came together to create the centre.

The centre brings training opportunities, including computer and internet access, with learning facilities available for up to 100 students at any one time.

More than 250 students have enrolled at the centre since it opened its doors in September. Students can work towards nationally-recognised qualifications in IT, Business, and Hair and Beauty.

An added bonus for students with pre-school children is the Jack In The Box Nursery.

The premises are shared by Redcar and Cleveland College, Loftus Development Trust, Business Link and Sure Start, a Government-backed scheme that aims to increase opportunities for the under-fives.

At the opening ceremony college principal Alan Old said a lot of hard work had gone in to the building and the partnership. He was looking forward to the partnership developing in the next few years.

"It is an opportunity for us to enable our students to create their own opportunities," he said