OLYMPIC judo star Kate Howey helped launch Wiltshire's new super-college, formed from combining Lackham, Chippenham and Trowbridge colleges.

Principals and governors were joined by students and staff from local industries to celebrate the formation of the Wiltshire College.

Officials say it will be able to offer a wider range of courses to both part-time and full-time students and attract greater investment for facilities.

There will be more focus on students with learning and physical disabilities and on basic numeracy and literacy education.

There will also be an increase in the number of higher education classes. Among some of the new courses will be a series of information technology training schemes.

Each of the three colleges involved will continue to operate at their individual sites but will have only one principal.

George Bright, currently based in Trowbridge, will be the new principal for Wiltshire College and will be based at Chipppenham from January of next year.

He explained the main benefits of the merger: "There will be more courses available, bigger investments in facilities and more provisions.

"It will result in a much wider range of education and training available to people in the Wiltshire area."

Geoff Burgess, the chairman of the Wiltshire College Corporation, said that before the merger each college was limited in its facilities and sometimes could not attract enough students to keep a course running. He said: "The new college can use the facilities more effectively and together we will be able to get more funding as a Wiltshire College."

The idea for the merger was floated in August 1999 and came from a meeting with the principals and governors.

The combined number of students from the three colleges can reach up to 30,000.

Wiltshire College is one of the largest employers in the region with more than 1,000 people working in the three centres.

All staff currently employed by the colleges will be keeping their jobs.

Mr Burgess said: "This is not about losing staff. There are no redundancy programmes. The three colleges coming together is about growth."

Wednesday's official opening ceremony included the planting of three oak trees at Lackham College between Chippenham and Lacock.

The trees symoblised the three different venues. Blue and green bows were tied around the trees to represent the new college's coloured logo.

Olympic silver medallist Kate Howey, who is studying at the the college for an HND in the training of athletes joined the opening celebrations.

She said: "It has been a good day. It brings so much of Wiltshire together. The bigger the college, the better the sports facilities.

"It's a way forward for all of the colleges in general. The bigger the better."