A new centre that aims to boost rural business and jobs has been unveiled.

Hadlow College’s Rural Regeneration Centre, officially opened on Thursday by Sir Robert Worcester, chancellor of the University of Kent, is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

It opened on the day that a report disclosed that huge numbers of young people are drifting from the countryside to the cities to find work.

The eco-friendly building, pre-fabricated in Austria and costing £450,000, is on a working dairy - Blackman’s Farm - in Hadlow. It has created three jobs and will play a key role in teaching students about sustainability, climate change and rural business. It will also host meetings and conferences on rural business issues.

The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has pumped £200,000 into the project. Valerie Carter, SEEDA’s rural director, hailed an iconic building that would be "a showcase for sustainable design."

Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, Hadlow College’s finance director, said: "I’m hoping the programme we’ve got will make agriculture and related rural industries attractive to people. There are some fantastic careers in the rural sector."

The college is working with Kent County Council and JobCentrePlus to get people off the dole and skilled up to take on jobs in the land-based sector. "We are here to support and develop rural business and the communities it represents," Mr Lumsdon-Taylor added.

Andrew Wickham, KCC deputy Cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said: "This centre has an important part to play in shaping the future of Kent’s land-based sector."

Helen Grant, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald was among around 100 guests at the opening ceremony. She said "Another triumph for Hadlow College. The rural Regeneration Centre is highly impressive and illustrates Hadlow’s commitment to sustainability and to tackling climate change.

"Sustainability is very important to the rural business sector and once again Hadlow is leading the way by example."