Newcastle College University Centre is to invest almost £6million into its tech facilities over the next three years.
As part of leading college group NCG, the University Centre has been awarded a share of funding from the Office for Students (OfS) to invest into developing its Higher Education (HE) facilities.
The funding will be used to create HE Hubs for construction, engineering, energy and digital technologies, designed to help close the region’s skills gaps at higher technical levels in these industries.
Building on the University Centre’s commitment to creating the workforce of the future and developing talent for the region, the new facilities will enable it to respond to changing skills needs and new technologies in these sectors, providing enhanced learning experiences and ensuring its graduates are ready for the jobs of today and the future.
The first year of development will see the completion of HE Hubs for Digital Technologies. On Newcastle College’s Rye Hill campus, the ground floor of the University Centre will be converted to include digital learning facilities, flexible teaching spaces and bespoke digital labs specifically dedicated to cyber security and immersive technology.
Following this, the focus will turn to a significant project to rebuild, refurbish and equip the centre’s construction, engineering and energy facilities, creating three high-spec CAD/BIM suites. This will establish Newcastle College University Centre as a leader in technical higher education and provide students with facilities that will support them to excel.
Jon Ridley, Deputy Principal (HE) at Newcastle College said: “We are incredibly pleased to make this investment in the student experience. It’s our commitment to nurture the talent that will go on to work and innovate in the areas of strategic importance to the region.
“We are committed to giving individuals access to a high-quality learning experience in which they develop their skills to succeed and thrive in our region. We work closely with business making sure our graduates are work ready. At Newcastle College University Centre we believe that in order to be work-ready, students must practice and experiment using the latest available industry standard technology, kit and equipment, which is exactly what we are investing in.
“The works are now in full swing, with students already working with some new kit and our cyber security and immersive technology labs will be ready as part of phase one this summer.”
The latest funding follows a £2million investment into STEM facilities in 2022, which Newcastle College University Centre invested into teaching facilities across STEM subjects of strategic importance including Energy, Engineering, Digital Technologies and Aviation with the goal of meeting changing regional skills needs to enhance employability prospects.
That injection of funds saw the University Centre purchase a new jet and aviation simulators for its Aviation Academy based at Newcastle International Airport and an interactive four-metre-wide Powerwall (the first of its kind within the UK’s education sector) to revolutionise the student learning experience.
