Beth Doherty
Wiltshire College & University Centre has received more than £6 million worth of funding to complete the third and final phase of the redevelopment of its Salisbury campus.
The redevelopment work will continue to improve the condition of the College estates at the Southampton Road site alongside additional internal improvements.
The College has successfully secured a £5.9million grant from the Department of Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, while the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) will provide an additional £400,000 worth of funding. The remainder of the £7.5million project will be funded by the College.
Iain Hatt, Principal & CEO at Wiltshire College & University Centre, said, “It’s fantastic to be able to bring the transformation of our Salisbury campus to completion and we’re looking forward to starting the next stage of this exciting project in the near future.
“We’re grateful for all of the support we have received throughout this project, particularly from the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, as well as the wider Salisbury community.
“The redevelopment of the Salisbury campus has allowed us to launch a number of new courses, including new T Levels, university level programmes and apprenticeships, and has played an important part in addressing some of the higher-level skills gaps in the city and the surrounding region.”
In addition to this project, the College is currently undergoing £1 million worth of renovations at Salisbury this summer to create new facilities to support the launch of new T Level courses, which will take the total investment at the campus to more than £22million in recent years.
Phase One of the Salisbury redevelopment project was completed in 2019 and involved the majority of the existing buildings at the site being re-clad and refurbished. Phase Two was completed in 2021 and included the construction of a new three-storey campus building. The new building comprises science and engineering labs, construction workshops, a TV studio and conferencing space.
The previous phases were part of more than £14 million of investment at Salisbury secured through the SWLEP to increase Further and Higher Education provision at the College.
Paddy Bradley, CEO of the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, added, “We’re pleased to be supporting the College to complete the redevelopment of its Salisbury campus. The renovations that have taken place at Salisbury in recent years are hugely impressive and it’s vital that young people are learning and gaining experience with industry-standard facilities and equipment. This will help to create an appropriately skilled and competitive workforce that can support growth, innovation and creativity within the city and the wider Wiltshire community.”
Development of the new T Levels facilities will be finished in time for the start of the 2022-23 academic year in September, while Phase Three of the Salisbury redevelopment project should be completed by September 2024.
Image from Wiltshire College website.
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Andy Munns
