A new era for education in the town of Redcar got underway on Thursday 17th December aswork began on a prestigious new development at the town’s further education college.

Representatives from Redcar & Cleveland College, key supporters and contractors gathered to dig the first sods of earth as work started on a new £3.5m Higher Education Centre on the college’s Corporation Road site.

The college is collaborating with two key sponsors, The Sir William Turner Foundation and Teesside University, to deliver a new concept in technological learning facilities for students studying Higher Education courses.

The new centre will make it much easier for people in Redcar and East Cleveland to study degree courses by providing a local facility and will also be much in demand as an event space for conferencing, presentation events and community users.

The centre will cater for the growing number of students who are studying Higher Education courses at the college and will feature a 250-seat lecture theatre with advances audio visual technologies as well as dedicated ICT and learning resource facilities.

College Principal Gary Groom said: “With the beginning of work on our Higher Education Centre today, we are widening the opportunities for the people of Redcar to participate in education and training.

“This new development will build upon our existing facilities by providing a specialist environment for our HE students that focuses on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subject areas which will be key for the long term recovery and prosperity of our local econonmy.

“The new facilities will mean that more people than ever will be able to fulfil their ambitions and equip themselves with the skills employers are looking for by studying courses at HE level in partnership with Teesside University.”

Chairman of the college governors John Coulthard said: “The new development demonstrates the college’s ambition to provide a world class learning environment for the people of Redcar and Cleveland and the wider Tees Valley.

“We are delighted that the Sir William Turner Foundation and Teesside University have agreed to back our vision and provide us with the necessary funds required to deliver this important project.

Professor Graham Henderson, Vice-Chancellor of Teesside University said:

“We are delighted to be taking forward our long-standing partnership with Redcar & Cleveland College through this investment.

“The College is one of our most important and valued partners and we very much look forward to the conclusion of this exciting collaboration. A key principle of the University is that we firmly believe that we can do things together that we are not able to do alone and this partnership with the College is a perfect example of that.”

Peter Southeran, Chair of the Sir William Turner Foundation, said: “The Sir William Turner Foundation has been supporting education in Redcar for over 300 years.

“Our support for Redcar & Cleveland College’s Higher Education Centre development is a continuation of this work and we are delighted to be involved in this prestigious project that will help to put the town on the higher education map.”

Contractors Walter Thompson are working alongside Niven Architects to deliver the new building, which is being constructed to the rear of the college’s existing £26m campus. The new development will use similar materials to match the look and feel of the existing building, which opened in September 2008.

Jason Henderson, Contracts Manager at Walter Thompson, said of his firms involvment: “We’re excited to be involved with the college in delivering this new development which will cement the college’s position as an iconic gateway into the town of Redcar.”

Simon Crowe, Director at Niven Architects, said of the new building’s design: “The Redcar & Cleveland College Higher Education Centre will build upon the already impressive Phase 1 development by providing bespoke, tailored facilities for the college’s Higher Education students.”

With the number of students going on to study higher education courses continuing to grow, the centre will provide a valuable resource for students who wish to study Higher Education programmes in a flexible and welcoming environment.

The college recently released its new Higher Education prospectus, which introduced a number of new courses, including Foundation Degrees in Chemical Science and Sports and Exercise.

Copies of the prospectus, along with other college publications, are available for download or by calling 01642 473132.