North Shropshire College to get £550k funding despite campus closure plans
A college which has announced plans to close three campuses has benefited from a £550,000 funding package.
North Shropshire College has received the substantial funding from Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, to invest in and upgrade IT equipment across its college campuses.
Marches LEP is a partnership of businesses, education and local authorities across the region, and principal Ian Peake is delighted the college will be able to benefit from the investment.
He said: “We are extremely grateful to the Marches LEP for this substantial capital investment, which provides North Shropshire College with state-of-the-art learning technologies, a transformation that will directly benefit our students.”
Among the many new systems and devices being installed are 26 Promethean ACTIVpanel touch screens bringing students the latest interactive display technology.
A host of Apple Mac computers have been installed in art and computer science departments, along with new equipment in other areas.
The money will also be used to upgrade the college onto larger IT systems, purchase large scale and a 3D printer, and increase the productivity of its apprenticeship department.
Equine and animal care courses will benefit from new equipment, and there is also a new state-of-the-art JESDIGIT1 diagnostic system for motor vehicle students to use during their practical work.
Substantial investment
Henry Nurdin, information systems controller, said: “This project has allowed the college to make a substantial investment in our IT infrastructure that will future-proof our learning environment for many years to come, and give our student body the benefits of cutting edge tools and technology.”
The investment comes after college bosses recently announced plans to close its campuses in Wem, Shipley and Tenbury Wells.
Mr Peake said it was for economic reasons – but students at the Shipley campus have launched a petition to try and block the closure.
The principal insisted the proposed change would enable the college to focus its investments at its two main campuses, at Oswestry and Walford.
