Work begins on uni STEM centre
Work on a new £26.4 million STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and Higher Education centre at Chichester College has begun.
City planners gave the new facility the greenlight at the end of 2023 and, following the securing of additional funding, work on the new development is expected to start later this month. Once finished it will put the college at the very cutting edge of training delivery in a wide range of subjects, creating all new, exciting opportunities for students.
At four storeys tall, the new building, expected to open in 2025, will be home to a suite of modern teaching and interactive spaces, which will integrate the use of new technology. On the ground floor, modern automotive workshops will house facilities enabling students to train with electric and hybrid vehicle technology, as well as petrol and diesel vehicles. The first floor will house dedicated suites for engineering and computing and the second floor an array of modern science laboratories.
The top floor will be a dedicated Higher Education Centre, with study spaces designed to meet the needs of students across a range of university level courses.
Helen Loftus, Principal, said: “We are excited to see work begin on this fantastic new facility here at Chichester College. As we prepare to celebrate our 60th anniversary this September, we continue to invest in the futures of young people in our area. When we opened, back in 1964, the college demonstrated a commitment to providing young people with the opportunity to learn and train locally, taught by superb industry experts in the best possible facilities. We continue to build on that legacy today.
“This new facility will give the college a specialist building to train students in advanced STEM technologies. The new STEM facility will enhance the way we teach and enable us to develop new courses to train the future workforce in a wide range of specialisms. It will support our students in accessing more opportunities, studying in industry standard facilities that will prepare them for life after college.”
Sustainability is another key to the building’s design, reinforcing the college group’s ongoing journey towards Net Carbon Zero. It will use technology that reduces carbon emissions and generates sustainable energy.
The facility has been funded by a grant from the Department of Education, alongside capital funding from the office for students for a higher education centre. It will replace the college’s ‘F Block’, which was demolished last summer.