Petroc celebrates multi-million pound collaborative bid success for new Institute of Technology for the South West.
A multi-million pound bid to revolutionise digital, engineering and manufacturing technology education across the South West has been successful, it has been announced. The new Institute of Technology will establish a range of new buildings and facilities across the region, including revitalising part of the Petroc campus in Barnstaple, transforming the facility into a multi-discipline engineering and advance manufacturing centre in the heart of North Devon.
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed the twelve successful applicants will receive a share of £170 million, awarded to establish a network of Institutes of Technology across the country.
The Institutes will be unique collaborations between universities, Further Education colleges, and leading employers. They will specialise in delivering quality higher level technical training and provide employers with the skilled workforce they need.
Of 35 original applications, an Institute of Technology for the South West region was one of 16 to be invited to the final stage of the competitive process last year. Twelve of the final stage applicants have been successful.
The Institute of Technology in the South West will have centres located across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, with state-of-the-art facilities proposed for Barnstaple, Plymouth, Exeter, Truro and Taunton.
In Barnstaple this will mean a bespoke engineering laboratory space, digital immersion facilities, other emergent manufacture capacity and additional spaces for research and learning providing a new hub for quality engineering training and innovation.
The Secretary of State has today (April 10th) confirmed the bid has been successfully chosen to receive multi-million pound funding.
The proposal draws on expertise from a number of partner organisations, including the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, Petroc, Bridgwater & Taunton College, City College Plymouth, Exeter College and Truro & Penwith College.
A group of ‘anchor employers’ will lead the direction of the new Institute of Technology and ensure focus on the latest industry skills. These employers are from Oxygen House and the Met Office in Exeter, Babcock in Plymouth and TDK Lambda in Ilfracombe. This bid is also supported by both Heart of the South West and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)
