Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) has revealed it invested over £10 million into improvements to its campuses this summer ahead of welcoming a record-breaking number of students through the doors.
An £8 million development at the Newcastle College campus has seen the completion of a two-storey purpose built Technical Excellence Centre, which was driven by increased demand for the recently introduced T Level courses.
The centre provides an innovative and flexible learning environment reflective of modern workplaces and contains highly specified technology used in architecture, engineering and construction.
The development also includes a new state-of-the-art sports hall with a viewing gallery and two further classrooms.
A Sport England 3G pitch has also been installed, including LED floodlights, spectator area, and new perimeter fencing. These will accommodate a number of sports and will be used by the NSCG Academy of Sport and Andy Griffin Football Academy.
Changes at the Stafford campus included new classrooms in the Riverbank building, worth around £200,000. This gives students and staff access to new furniture and technology, including state-of-the-art smartboards.
Money has also been spent on classroom upgrades within the Grade II listed Tenterbanks building, installation of CCTV and security measures at the Construction Plant Centre and additional facilities for the Student Services department including a private, sound proofed interview pod.
Debbie Torjussen, Director of Finance and Corporate Services at NSCG, said: “The College has completed an extensive programme over the summer period. We are delighted with the new Technical Excellence Centre and the Sports Hall building which has views over our amazing new 3G pitch.
“The enhancements we have made both with this major capital project and other upgrades across both campuses have created additional space for our increase in students and reflect our ongoing ambition to ensure quality facilities for our students across all areas.”
The investment has come as work continues on the new £22.5 million Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology (SoTSIoT), which is underway in Stafford, pictured above.
Led by NSCG, the institute will offer industry-standard facilities and equipment for the benefit of its large number of Higher Education students and will offer programmes in engineering and manufacturing, modern methods of construction, health sciences and digital.
A Daily Focus story about the state-of-the-art facilities that will be available to students can be found here.
