Multi-million pound investment plans announced by Northumberland College

Key investment will be made across all campuses at Berwick, Ashington and Kirkley Hall over the next 12 months to create innovative, industry-focused facilities, with work starting as early as July.

A new modern campus building will be constructed at the existing Berwick site.

Elsewhere, facilities will include a state-of-the-art digital academy, health simulation ward, industry-standard training kitchens, equine centre and veterinary nursing centre, among other projects.

This is in addition to extensive refurbishment of existing buildings and specialist resources for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Nigel Harrett, principal, said: “It is an exciting time for Northumberland College and a major step forward in delivering new facilities and unrivalled learning opportunities for students across the region.

“Our investment plans are ambitious, yet achievable, and work will start to be rolled out across the different sites simultaneously over the forthcoming months.

“Everyone involved with the college, from staff to our commercial partners, is fully behind the plans and we expect some of the new facilities to be fully complete and available to students from September.”

Education Partnership North East (EPNE) was created following the merger of Northumberland College, Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form, with a catchment area stretching from Berwick to Teesside.

Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive, said “The investments we are looking to make across our Northumberland campuses will provide huge benefits for our students, both current and future, as well as our staff and the local communities we serve.

”Since the merger, we have been busy aligning our focus at each of our campuses in Ashington, Kirkley and Berwick with key economic industries, taking into consideration in each area the needs of local employers to help shape the improvements to our educational provision.”