Work will start this summer on Cardiff and Vale College's two new campuses in Barry and Rhoose.
The £119 million project will see a new state-of-the-art community campus built at Barry's waterfront, replacing the existing site on Colcot Road.
An advanced technology centre will also be built at Cardiff Airport, near the college's existing aerospace training centre.
The contract for both developments was signed this week with the two sites expected to open in August 2027.
The college says it's an "investment in the future of skills" for the Vale of Glamorgan.
Mike James, group chief executive for Cardiff and Vale College, said: "We are delighted to take this major step forward in our investment in education and training across the region."
“It is with real pleasure that I can say that we are delivering on our commitment to provide first-class teaching and learning environments for learners and the community in the Vale of Glamorgan."
"The waterfront campus and advanced technology centre will also cater to the current and future needs of employers across the Vale and the wider capital region."
“We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government, Vale of Glamorgan Council and Welsh Education Partnership Company to ensure this project will be the success that I know it will.”
The new Barry campus will employ nearly 80 staff and cater for up to a thousand students, offering a range of courses including provision for adults looking to develop new skills or progress their careers. There'll also be a hair and beauty salon and a restaurant open to the public and run by the students.
Other features will include IT rooms, a covered outdoor dining area, a courtyard with a grass lawn and an outdoor garden terrface.
100 staff will be based at the advanced technology centre at Rhoose, which will concentrate on courses supporing economic development and meeting the skill needs of employers for both emerging renewable technology and the retrofit skills need to meet net zero carbon targets.
As such, it's the first net zero project in Wales aimed at further education, with both campuses designed to become "truly sustainable" learning environments bringing substantial benefits to Barry's waterfront and the enterprise zone surrounding Cardiff Airport and St Athan.
Geraint Evans, corporation chair for the CAVC group, said: "When Mike and I first came together in 2011 when Cardiff and Vale College was formed, we agreed that we would build two new campuses in the Vale of Glamorgan. Now, in 2025, we are finally at that stage."
“It’s an extremely exciting for the college, the community and the businesses we serve. It represents a major step forward that will bring sustainable community and economic benefits to the Vale for years to come.”
The project is also being delivered through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.
Education Minister, Vikki Howells, said: "It is fantastic the Welsh Government’s sustainable communities for learning programme is bringing these two new campuses to the Vale of Glamorgan."
"The Barry Waterfront campus and the Advanced Technology Centre will make a real difference to the Vale community."
Vale of Glamorgan Council leader Lis Burnett added: "This is wonderful news for the Vale of Glamorgan. The proposed multi-million-pound Waterfront campus and Advanced Technology Centre will be landmark developments for the county."
"They will bring modern, state of the art education facilities for learners across the Vale."
“I am very proud of our ongoing collaboration as public sector partners with Cardiff and Vale College and the Welsh Government in helping the college progress delivery of these exciting new educational schemes.
“The new campuses will offer much needed new education and vocational training opportunities and serve as an excellent example of how education can be a major driver for local regeneration and placemaking.”
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