Student rooms ready next month
A £2.2M development providing 40 ensuite bedrooms for West Highland College UHI students is almost complete.
Contractor Robertson Northern has confirmed doors will open on the three-storey development, on Camanachd Crescent, An Aird, Fort William, next month.
Frank Reid, regional director of Robertson Northern, said: ‘Despite extremely challenging weather conditions in recent weeks we have reached this important stage in the development in good time, meaning students can be confident of moving into their new accommodation in time for the new academic year.’
Cityheart is the developer behind the new accommodation block and manag- ing director Mark McNamee said: ‘The development is particularly exciting for the town and will deliver a boost to the local economy by ensuring students have state- of-the-art accommodation.’
Lydia Rohmer, Principal and Chief Executive of West Highland College UHI, said: ‘The building of a dedicated student residence in Fort William underlines our continued determination to make Fort William a university town, providing local opportunities with national and international reach.
‘We have around 200 students studying for Higher Education qualifications at present and this number is projected to rise to 300 over the next three years.
‘The majority of these students are located in our Fort William campus, so having student residences is an integral part of our ability to attract talented learners into the area from Scotland, the rest of UK, Europe and beyond.
‘ We have been highly successful in attracting more students year- on-year for our unique suite of outdoor adventure tourism and sports degrees, providing a highly employable graduate skills force.
‘Having introduced new degrees in marine and coastal tourism and adventure performance and coaching this year, together with an increasing range and number of further education courses, means we can proudly claim to be offering a truly inspirational learning experience here in Fort William for both international students and those from much closer to home.’