19 February 2009
£3.2million for higher education in Blackburn
A grant of £3.2million will be invested by The Northwest
Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in a new University Centre at
Blackburn College.
The funding will contribute to a £13.9million Higher Education
facility, which will serve up to 600 extra students, and is
currently being built adjacent to Barbara Castle Way.
Blackburn College and the Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE) are providing the rest of the funding for the new
building which opens in September this year.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive, at the NWDA, said: “The new
campus is a major step forward in increasing skills and encouraging
our talented students to remain in the area. The provision of
education will be high-quality and in line with the sort of skills
and qualifications employers say that they are looking for.
“There is a clear need for this modern 21st-century campus which
will serve Blackburn and wider Pennine Lancashire, providing real
opportunities and getting graduates into jobs.”
The College has been in consultation with industry and employers
as well as Higher Education professionals to develop Foundation
Degrees relevant to employers’ needs and a curriculum designed to
plug the skills gap in Pennine Lancashire. This will ensure
graduates will have access to qualifications which employers
genuinely want.
Sir Bill Taylor, Chair of Blackburn College’s Corporation Board
said: “Local employers need more graduates and those who train
locally are more likely to work locally.
“We support learning in the work place and have links with Rolls
Royce, BAE Systems and the National Health Service. We believe that
if students have links with the work place, they are more likely to
stay in the area.
“University education is extremely important, especially in a
Borough like Blackburn with Darwen, where there is a lot of
deprivation. A new University Centre in the area will provide high
quality education and ultimately, a better standard of living.”
Presently, Blackburn College offers a range of Foundation
degrees, including Care Practice, Criminology and Criminal Justice,
Digital Media Design, Financial Services and Law, Interior Design
and Sustainable Construction.
It is anticipated that the new University Centre will help 433
adults gain Foundation Degrees each year, redevelop 1.1 acres of
brownfield land and create 25 new jobs. The building will
also incorporate energy saving and generation technologies to
reduce its carbon foot print.*
Blackburn College is part-way through the design and
implementation of a Master Plan to create a world class
campus. Phase one, the St Paul’s Centre, a new Sixth Form and
Computing Centre has already been completed and Phase two is the
University Centre Building. The curved building will be just under
7000m2 with student facilities along the Barbara Castle Way side
and an adjoining administrative block for staff offices. The
buildings will be linked by a glass atrium.
Design of the building has been created following discussions
with students, staff and employers.
Editors Notes
• The College provides everything from basic skills to
Masters Degrees. The new HE provision will raise aspirations that
students will be able to increase their skills, and make a greater
contribution to the local economy.
• The current HE building cannot accommodate the future
forecast numbers of HE students.
• 20 percent of the Blackburn with Darwen population have
no qualifications which is higher than the Northwest average of
15.8 percent.
• Just 13.8 percent of the Blackburn with Darwen population
have HE qualifications, compared to 20.4 percent across Great
Britain.
• Phase three, a new Motor Vehicle Workshop will follow and
will be built next to the University Centre . Phase four
consists of a new Core Building providing teaching space, a
learning resource centre and refectory. This phase will see the
demolition of the existing Feilden Street Building and the creation
of new car park. The final phase is the refurbishment of the
remaining buildings including the Grade II listed Victoria
Building.
• The energy saving/generation technologies will
include:
-Ground Source Heat Pumps.
These make better use of the free thermal properties of heat
exchange below ground, where the background temperature is of a
more constant nature when compared to the current above ground, air
exchange units used for heating and cooling the building.
This would create benefits in terms of reduced carbon dioxide
emissions, improved efficiency of natural resources and lower
running costs for the College.
This would produce some 12,000 kWhr, reducing the carbon dioxide by
5,000 kg per annum.
Photovoltaic Panels.
Photovoltaic panels will be mounted on the roof of the building
with the potential for additional panels.
This will result in the generation of some 50,000 kWhr, equating to
a saving of approximately 21,000 kg of carbon dioxide per
annum.
Cycle Storage Provision.
This will have an impact on CO2 emissions by encouraging more
people to leave the car at home and travel by bicycle.
For further information please contact Sam Shale, Press Officer on
01925 400264 or 07717 427872 or sam.shale@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925
400259.
For further information and to view all press releases visit us
at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the
economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is
responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging
investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life