Green Light For £50 Million College Development - East Anglian Daily Times Education Page, 2 November 2004

Dr Peter Funnell Assistant Principal (Learning Development) reports on key decisions to transform Suffolk College

A multi-million pound investment in the future of Suffolk College has moved a step closer to reality following a series of ground-breaking decisions by the College Corporation.

Business plans for an innovative £50m scheme to provide new buildings and facilities for the College were approved by the College’s Corporation at a meeting held on Thursday 21 October 2004. The plans will now be presented to the Suffolk Learning Skills Council for approval on 17 November, before being submitted to the national Learning Skills Council for consideration early next year.

The new buildings and facilities will be located on and to the north of the current Suffolk College site in the Education Quarter of Ipswich and will result in the demolition of current buildings by the end of the decade. It is anticipated that the first students will move into the new buildings during 2007. The development will be integrated with the creation of University Campus Suffolk to provide seamless progression opportunities from high quality further education and vocational training to university level education.

Introducing the proposals College Principal, Professor Dave Muller said:“ New buildings and facilities for Suffolk College are needed to meet increasing demand for vocational education and training and the continuing growth in students wishing to study further education”. He went on to say: “Over the last three years full time numbers of further education students at Suffolk College have expanded to more than 2300, with some 8000 students taking part-time further education qualificatory courses.”

Welcoming the decision Andrew Shelley, Chair of the College Corporation said: “This exciting and imaginative development will provide resources fit for the 21st century. The College will invest its own resources in the development and will seek support from the Learning and Skills Council and other partners. It is an exciting development designed to support the economic, social and cultural development of Ipswich, Suffolk and the wider Eastern Region”.

The proposal envisages a set of buildings totalling in excess of 21,000 square metres of space, and will include contemporary teaching facilities for the wide range of courses offered by the College, together with student social facilities and a learning resource centre using latest Internet technologies.

Dr Peter Funnell, Assistant Principal Learning Development