Burnley College unveils plans for £6.6m expansion

Burnley College is investing £6.6m in an expansion scheme, set to be completed next year.

Burnley College University Course centre has been given the green light for a three-storey extension, providing 1,900 sq m of dedicated classrooms and teaching space.

Nina Parkin, Dean of BCUC, said: “To have facilities, right here in the heart of Burnley, which will rival any major city university in the country, makes me so proud.

“We work in conjunction with local industry, identifying skills gaps and learning about developing new technologies, so we can ensure local people achieve qualifications which allow them to go into the world productively and ably stepping straight into a job alongside industry experts.

“Sustainability is one of the key factors at the front of mind at every stage of this development, which works in perfect harmony with our learners’ passion for sustainability, too.”

The current BCUC building was designed to have foundations able to support additional floors, reducing the cost and time for future expansions such as this three-storey scheme.

The new facilities will support and expand on the wide range of courses.

Degree-level courses will be accessible to all, with a wide range of learning options, including upgrading skills for professionals looking to boost their careers, or courses for those who want to feed their curiosity or expand their skills.

The expansion includes professional science laboratories, expanded Psychology, Counselling and Medical Biology facilities, and a dedicated Employability Hub.

The new floors will have robotics and automation classrooms, a cyber-security suite and immersive tech classrooms.

This new development will provide capacity for an additional 500 students.

Karen Buchanan, principal of Burnley College, said this new project is the result of a drive to provide the best for learners and the wider community in Burnley: “This investment in the future of education in Burnley consolidates our position as a leading centre of learning in the North West and the UK as a whole.

“We are hugely proud of our amazing campus and committed to its continued development to offer the ultimate education and training for generations to come – at every level from A Levels, T Levels and GCSEs to Masters Degrees.”

She added: “Our learners deserve the very best, and we are dedicated to providing them with an environment which gives them the very best qualifications to aid their journeys to the most successful careers.

“We want to inspire and motivate them to be the very best they can be and our current and new facilities will certainly place Burnley firmly on the education map.”