UNIVERSITY College Worcester is on the brink of becoming a full university and opening a second, £100m campus in the city.

Anyone doubting the benefits of such an investment, which will almost double the number of students to around 12,000, only needs to look at the case of Worcester, Massachusetts.

The town was once famous for its 19th Century dramatic, musical and civic events, which influenced educators to found several colleges.

With 14 institutions now in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, there are around 36,000 students in the area.

There is no real student feel in the town - at least, not in the drunken, noisy teenager sense that residents of the Arboretum or Britannia Square have raised fears we might see - but the benefits are clear enough.

When computing boomed in the 1970s the city was at the forefront and the next generation of skilled, young workers is now driving the bio-medical industry in the region.

The downtown area features many medical, biotechnology and high-tech research centres, offering the thousands of post-graduates skilled employment on their doorstep.

The colleges themselves largely specialise in the latest, hi-tech courses and both they and the companies thrive on their partnerships and proximity.

The economic boom the colleges have brought is shown by the fact that last year retail sales in Worcester county reached $6bn.

While we have a string of excellent secondary schools, 18 and 19-year-olds tend to leave the county for top universities across the country.

Some may return but the majority of talented, intelligent and qualified youngsters complete their education elsewhere, and their skills tend to remain outside the county.

The Central Technology Corridor - along the A38 from Worcester to Birmingham - is attempting to change this trend and the success of Worcester, Massachusetts, is the perfect incentive.

Worcester Academy, founded in 1834, is one of the most historic and famous schools in America, and is a landmark in the city.

It has 620 pupils, of which 140 are boarders from 17 US states and 15 other countries, and an stunning average of just 13 pupils per class.

With between three and four hours of homework demanded every night and fees of around $17,500, or £11,000, a year for day students - £20,000 for boarders - I had visions of a traditional, old-fashioned, independent school.

But there is no sense of stuffiness or arrogance and Worcester Academy, like so much in the town, manages to balance its past with ambition for the future.

"There is a lot of history but this school is hot right now," said Neil Isakson, who guided me round the campus.

"Our pupils do community service and we are not exclusive. We have kids with very privileged backgrounds, kids from very ordinary backgrounds, and everyone in between."

While they celebrate famous alumni, such as songwriter Cole Porter, and a string of Olympic athletes, actors, basketball and American football stars, the school does not lose sight of its responsibility to the community.

To this end 40 per cent of its students, many of them from Worcester, are given scholarships - amounting to more than $2.3m every year.

Such opportunities are evident throughout what can only be described as a holistic education system.

While impressive schools and a string of colleges cater for the more academic-minded, those whose skills lie elsewhere are also offered the best possible training.

Worcester Center for Crafts - formerly the Worcester Employment Society - has the dual purpose of providing a social service and a cultural mission.

It trains people at all levels, from children to professional artists, in disciplines such as clay, metalwork, textiles, wood, refining, photography and glass.

For kids on the street it offers not just a valuable skill and qualifications, but also advice on how to make their craft pay.

Around 50 public schools - our comprehensives - 17 private and three special schools complete the education picture.

Our LEA was last month highly praised by Ofsted and our schools are a success on a shoestring budget so there may be little to gain from studying their school system.

But the strength of Worcester's colleges is highly pertinent as we look to incorporate a university into our city, and we should gleefully accept the advantages our twin town's experience can offer.