Work has begun on the new £22.5 million Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology (SoTSIoT).
The SoTSIoT will specialise in higher level technical programmes, bringing together the training offer of Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group in collaboration with Keele University, Burton and South Derbyshire College and Axia Solutions.
A traditional ground breaking ceremony took place at the Castle Street site in Stafford on Friday and the building is expected to be complete by Spring 2025.
SoTSIoT Managing Director Georgina Barnard, pictured above, said the ceremony marked an “exciting construction milestone” and that she was “delighted” that work is underway.
She said: “We are proud to bring this exciting new facility to the heart of Stafford and excited to see the significant impact it will have on the entire Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire region.
“The SoTSIoT is committed to developing accessible routes into higher technical education, and the new hub building will provide learners with an inspirational learning environment, the latest industry standard equipment and an agile, responsive course offer designed in collaboration with our employer partners to deliver the higher technical skills that the region needs.”
Institutes of Technology are a £300 million government backed investment designed to significantly increase the number of learners participating in higher technical education and provide the skills that businesses need both now and in the future, to support regional and national productivity.
SoTSIoT will be located at the heart of the new multi-million-pound Stafford Station Gateway regeneration scheme.
It will specialise in delivering qualifications in demand sectors such as modern methods of construction, advanced engineering, high value manufacturing, digital and health/life sciences.
The curriculum will be influenced by key employer partners including; Dell, Hitachi, MOOG, Siemens and St Modwen Logistics.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Focus, Leader of Stafford Borough Council, Aidan Godfrey, recently described SoTSIoT as “very important” for attracting young people and businesses to the borough.
SoTSIoT is due to welcome learners from September 2025, with an expected college community of over 3,500 learners by the 2028/29 academic year.
