£3m ‘game-changer’ facilities for college
A major refurbishment to create world-class facilities at a college are moving forward after a successful £3million bid to Government.
Sunderland College will be rolling out prestigious new T-Levels from a new cuttingedge immersive environment, after the Government confirmed it will fund the transformation of space within its Bede Campus.
The 1920s Bede Building will see its old hall undergo a complete refurbishment, with the inclusion of a sophisticated,360-degreeimmersive visualisation “dome” created within it, allowing students to train in a number of virtual reality environments.
North East firm Malcolm Hollis has been appointed to oversee the major development and a construction partner Engie has been appointed to deliver the designs – which were developed by North East architect, Seymour Architecture.
Work will commence in January and will be completed this October.
Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive of Education Partnership North East, which includes Sunderland College, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that we have secured funding to develop what will become a leading technical skills and digital innovation centre.
"The centre will be a gamechanger for our college and most importantly for young people and employers from across our region.
“Thislatestinvestmentwill raise the bar yet again, and the plans we have for the new centre will position us right at the cutting-edge of education.
"The new centre will be a fantastic regional asset that will ensure our T Level provision is exceptional and we are able to increasingly deliver a valuable pipeline of students to meet regional skills shortages.”
The new centre will allow thecollegetodevelopstudent’s knowledge, understanding and skills in a shared VR facility offering flexible applications for all T Level disciplines such as construction, digital, health, science and education.