NORTHUMBERLAND college has said new capital investment from the Department for Education will take its provision of technical qualifications to a 'new level'.

The college, part of the Education Partnership North East (EPNE), confirmed earlier this year that it would be expanding its Kirkley Hall Campus skills strategy into engineering, manufacturing, processing and control, maintenance, installation/ repair for engineering and manufacturing, agriculture, land management and production, and animal management.

The new provision will include a range of T Levels, new two-year courses which are broadly equivalent to three A Levels.

The capital investment from the T Level Capital Fund (TLCF) comes from the latest round of DfE support, a £74m budget enabling the rollout of 86 T Level projects nationally.

The fund’s major investment in Northumberland will transform see classrooms, workshops and learning spaces at Kirkley Hall campus refurbished and refitted.

Specifically, the Kirkley Hall project will involve:

· Creation of new industry informed classrooms and workshops including automation, robotics and agritech facilities, plus engineering and manufacturing workshops

· Creation of a new 360-degree immersive hub capable of digitally transporting students into international, national and regional engineering and agricultural environments, through to internal anatomical structures and systems of animals

· Refurbishment of Kirkley Hall working Farm with new barns, technical farm resources, sheep handing and shearing facilities;

· Creation of a new arboricultural area;

· Demolition of mobile classrooms and buildings that are no longer fit for purpose

Ellen Thinnesen OBE, Chief Executive of EPNE, said: “This is major news for Northumberland College and the communities we serve in the county. We’re delighted the Department for Education has the trust and confidence to invest in our college as this funding will transform not just what we deliver, but how we deliver it, ultimately providing improved access to technical career routes for our students.

“This investment will ensure our Kirkley Hall Campus in Ponteland is ahead of the curve particularly as it will enable us to deliver curriculum inclusive of green skills, biosecurity, environmental protection and improvement”.

Gary Potts, Principal of Northumberland College said: “I am delighted we can broaden our already high-quality offer at Kirkley Hall. It is paramount that we deliver the skills required now and into the future, to enable our local people to access long-term sustainable careers in the region. This funding will enable us to do exactly that. I am particularly excited to introduce new engineering facilities but also our developments in agritech, aimed to develop skills for the emerging jobs in that sector, focusing on technology and data.

“The campus is already an amazing place to learn but this will allow us to deliver provision in key areas of growth, whilst also improving some of the current facilities. The addition of a high-tech immersive learning environment is going to provide incredible opportunities in a cutting-edge, innovative and exciting way.”