Newbury College has been awarded £1.75m from the Local Growth Fund, towards the development of the University Centre Newbury (UCN). Additional funds for the £5.5m project will be drawn from the College and investment from supporting partners and will bring a state-of-the-art, digitally integrated, zero carbon, higher education facility to West Berkshire.
Research by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (TVBLEP) and consultation with local employers across the region, identified critical skill shortages of employees with high-level skills, particularly in Digital Technologies, Engineering, Business & Finance, Health, Social Care & Education and Construction.
The UCN is supported by foundation partnerships with local businesses including Vodafone, Roc Technologies, Xtrac and Sovereign Housing and aims to address the needs of local employers and ensure training is relevant and specific, not only for new employees, but also to increase the opportunities to upskill existing staff and help businesses utilise their Apprenticeship Levy payments more effectively.
Director of Business & Partnerships, Dr Jo Houghton said, We are delighted to have received the funding and support of the TVBLEP and excited that the Planning Application has been submitted. The University Centre Newbury brings a wealth of opportunity for businesses to meet their workforce requirements to engage and upskill in digital technologies, and provides a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to achieve a higher level of training locally.
Newbury College has already formed strong relationships with local businesses in the engineering sector, including AWE and Xtrac, enhanced by the opening of the Engineering Solutions Lab in 2017 and the subsequent strength of the Degree programmes in Engineering, which is already expanding to Postgraduate level from September 2019, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University.
The Careers not Courses campaign, recently launched by Newbury College, marks an open conversation between business and education and designs a curriculum that meets the skills demand of the local community, building and equipping a digital-first workforce with a logical progression from further education into higher education (HE).
UCN provides a solution for the community that sees an expansion of the current HE provision enabling opportunities for young talent to remain in the area and study university-level qualifications alongside their chosen career.
Built to new zero-carbon standards, UCN will be environmentally sustainable. The Centre incorporates digital technologies that enable students the option to study flexibly such as, real-time remote classroom access and blended learning options. Labs will be equipped with the hardware and software that facilitate the delivery of key digital technology including big data, software development, cyber security and cloud computing.
Key partners including, Buckinghamshire New University, QA Ltd, and The Open University, have been specifically chosen for their expertise to support the delivery of a centre of excellence for the development of higher skills.
West Berkshire Council, the Rt Hon Richard Benyon MP, Kennet School and Park House School have also provided strong support for University Centre Newbury.
The first intake for the University Centre Newbury will be September 2020. To find out more about higher-level study options, visit www.newbury-college.ac.uk
On the evening of Tuesday 05 September students from Newbury College gathered together with family and friends to celebrate their academic achievements at the College's annual Graduation and Award Ceremony. Guest of honour was BBC antiques expert and local businessman, Thomas Plant.
The event is held for students graduating from Level 4 courses and above, and for those who have worked exceptionally hard on further education courses (up to Level 3). Students were invited on stage to accept their certificates and awards from the College Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Anne Murdoch, the guest of honour and representatives from local organisations who helped sponsor the event.
Speaking about the evening, Dr Anne Murdoch said: It is always an honour for us to come together and celebrate the achievements of our students. This year the event took place in an indoor marquee in our Sports Hall which added to the sense of occasion.
We were very grateful to Thomas and his wise words of encouragement to our students. He told them not to be afraid of starting at the bottom and working up ' that way by the time they reach the top they would have experienced all they need to know to make a success of their career. We hope he inspired the students to be as passionate about their careers as he so obviously is about his own.
Winners of special awards were as follows: George Collins ' Outstanding Higher Education Mechanical Engineer Elliot Taylor ' Outstanding Higher Education Electrical and Electronic Engineer Karen Welton ' Outstanding Higher Education Learner Award Hamish Hearn ' Tony Allen Award for High Achievement in further education.
Other guests in attendance included Cllr Ellen Crumly, Mayor of Thatcham, Cllr David Fenn, Mayor of Newbury, Cllr Quinten Webb, Chair of West Berkshire Council and members of Newbury College's governing body.
Sponsoring companies included: AWE, Bluebird Care, Castle School, Corn Exchange Newbury, David Lloyd Clubs, Debenhams Parkway, Euro Car Parts, Heart, Jason Palmer Hairdressing, Jewson, Monkey Business, MWS Media, Newbury Weekly News, Parkway Shopping, Resonates, Taylor Shaw, The Living Rainforest, Vineyard, West Berkshire Council and Xtrac.
To view all of the photos from the event click here.
Today's publication of the Higher Education funding Council's (HEFCE) Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) awarded Newbury College its Provisional Status'. The award is given to higher education providers that meet rigorous national quality requirements but which do not yet have sufficient data to be fully assessed'.
In the autumn term of 2016, Newbury College submitted its Annual Provider Review to HEFCE and a review of this confirmed that the College fully meets HEFCE's requirements for quality and standards'.
This means that:
Newbury College continues to grow its higher education provision with programmes available in Art and Design, Business*, Engineering, Graphic Design, Health and Social Care*, Public Services and Sport.
Newbury College is excited to be developing a new B.Eng. (Hons) degree apprenticeship* with Buckinghamshire New University and is accepting enquiries from those interested in studying on this programme from September 2017. Call 01635 845000 for details.
For more details on the TEF outcomes, visit: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/tefoutcomes/
*Note: Some HE courses are subject to awarding body approval.
Newbury College recognised its apprentices and their supporters at an award ceremony held at the College last night.