College secures £1m funding for new creative hub

Stoke on Trent College has secured a £1m grant from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to invest in a new hub for the creative and cultural industries at its Cauldon campus.

A further £200,000 in funding has been provided by Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Local Enterprise Partnership towards virtual reality learning suites.

The investment will see creative industries and performing arts students from the Burslem campus move to a new, state-of-the-art facility at the Cauldon campus.

The facilities will provide all the latest technology, resources, software and equipment for a range of courses including graphic design, games design and development, film, TV, media, radio, theatrical make-up, performing arts, ceramics, product design and music.

Denise Brown, principal and CEO at Stoke on Trent College, said: “This is a significant government investment into education and creative industries within the city and we are very proud to have secured this funding as a result of a strong business plan that puts employment opportunities in Staffordshire’s key growth areas at the heart of our curriculum.

“By locating these new facilities at Cauldon, we will bring all our creative students onto one single learning community in the university quarter, closer to employers in the cultural quarter and creative industries.

“We have undertaken an extensive review of the college estate, student numbers and our curriculum, working closely with the LEP to create a skilled workforce to fill predicted vacancies that are key to the area’s economy.

“Last year a report from the Creative Industries Federation and NESTA predicted that national growth in creative industries employment is set to be more than double the UK’s average rate of job creation. More than 119,495 new creative jobs are now predicted in the UK by 2024.”