Dr Ursula Stephens, chairperson of Community Plus, the umbrella organisation for the Community College, said the committee had been pleasantly surprised at the high level of interest they have had from the community.

“It’s pretty amazing when you consider that we have not yet launched the College website and enrolments system,” Dr Stephens said.

“The College will be ready to take enrolments from the open day onwards and in fact the site may even go live before then.

“Currently the final touches are being applied to our website and we are already loading in course descriptions and details.”

The Chairman of the Learning Hub Sub Committee (Community College) Brad Nichol, said the College wouldn’t run on the traditional school terms timetable.

“Workshops will be continually loaded onto the College website as they become available. This will allow us to be far more flexible in meeting changing needs and also coping with class overflows,” Mr Nichol said.

“Apart from a two-week break at Christmas time, we will be continually running workshops and learning events.”

Mr Nichol said the group is currently setting up the training areas and will begin installing the new Mac computer this week, with the first workshops underway by mid-October if all goes to plan.

It’s planned that the array of workshops will quickly build throughout the first six months of operation but initially there are workshops being offered in areas of art, mobile technologies, computing, web design, Youtube and podcast creation, photography, yoga, and sewing.

The College is in negotiation with a number of trainers for other areas.

Mr Nichol said the actual number of courses that the College offered would depend on demand and need.

“That’s a hard question to answer. We want to be receptive to developing needs, so who knows what might come out of the woodwork?” Mr Nichol said.

“But we expect to offer somewhere between 60 and 80 different workshops between now and mid-2016 and we already have over 25 written up ready to go.

“The College is committed to developing a core group of highly dedicated and skilled tutors and trainers and has planned an extensive ‘in-service’ program to keep trainers at the top of their game, which will include training in the creation of electronic media and other cutting edge technologies.

“Basically we are in for the long-term and the Committee figures that if we show that we value our trainers, they will also value their relationship with us and provide our students with the very best of learning experiences.”

The Committee will not be publishing a printed catalogue of courses, as most Colleges do.

“We know this limits the College’s ability to respond to training needs quickly and lacks the flexibility we want, hence we are starting out using our website and social media channels backed up by print and radio,” Dr Stephens said.

“We will be getting the word out there in the next couple of weeks starting with social media channels, followed by newsprint and radio, so local folk should keep an eye out and an ear to the ground.

“But most of all we would love people to come in this Saturday to meet with us and discuss their training needs.”

The College, at 25 Market St, will be open from 10am to 4pm and will be running some free taster training events throughout the day.