Skills boost as college opens doors to £60m campus
Leeds City College celebrated the start of the 2019/20 academic year with the opening of its £60m Quarry Hill Campus, and the arrival of about 3,000 students to the facility.
The nine-storey complex, which was nearly two years in construction, is the new home for the college’s School of Creative Arts and School of Social Science.
These departments are two of the institution’s biggest faculties and are set to support key industries in Leeds City Region – digital and healthcare – with space also provided for Leeds College of Music and Higher Education courses.
A week-long programme of activities will mark the unveiling of the new facilities, timed to coincide with the college’s bicentenary. Events include a welcome reception involving 200 students and staff in brightly coloured clothing to represent the diverse 200-year history of the organisation and an abseil down the building by CEO of Luminate Education Group, Colin Booth.
Quarry Hill Campus will play a vital role in addressing regional skills gaps with courses such as Visual & Digital Arts, Games Design, Media, Music and Performance Production, Childhood and Education, Health Science and Social Care, and Public Services.
Provision on site includes TV and media suites, photography and dance studios, a costume workshop, newsroom and gallery spaces, science labs, outdoor working spaces, lecture theatres, a complimentary therapy room and 200-seat theatre complete with backstage technical equipment.
The development received £33.4m funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1bn-plus package of Government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Booth said: “We are delighted to officially open our Quarry Hill Campus, which is the result of years of hard work by our staff and partners.
“We’ve traced the formative years of our organisation back to 1819, so this year is of enormous historical importance to us, as our bicentenary. As such, we’re excited to have arranged a packed week of activity to mark the college’s accomplishments, past, present and future.
“This new building offers a first-class educational experience and demonstrates our commitment to offering innovative learning environments and creative vocational programmes.
“Healthcare, social care, childcare, and digital are some of the biggest local employment sectors, so we are proud to be playing our part in the city region and making a positive difference to the lives of our students.”
Roger Marsh, Chairman of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “The state-of-the-art Quarry Hill campus is the largest investment from a total pot of almost £80 million from our Growth Deal funding which we allocated to improving further and higher educational facilities throughout the Leeds City Region.
“Our £33.4 million investment in Leeds City College will play a key role in developing a talented workforce that will enable our economy to thrive, particularly in digital industries, which are creating thousands of jobs in our region every year and developing our national and international profile as a powerhouse of creativity and innovation.”
The campus uses green ‘living’ walls and solar units to harvest energy, as well as eight different types of glass to naturally moderate temperature inside.
Designed by Ellis Williams Architects and built by Wates Construction North East & Yorkshire, the campus is one of the first projects delivered as part of a wider £300m redevelopment of Quarry Hill, with investment in creative, cultural, academic, residential and commercial premises.
The college building sits in the Cultural Quarter of Leeds alongside the BBC, Leeds College of Music (which is also part of the Luminate Education Group), Northern Ballet, and Leeds Playhouse, currently undergoing redevelopment. Between the sites, a shared space is in the process of being created, which will open up access to buildings and amenities.
