A new higher education facility is to open at Bournemouth and Poole College’s North Road campus this September following a £1.2 million government investment.

The Degree Centre will offer a state-of-the-art learning environment for students to study degree level qualifications.

It will also provide flexible learning spaces for small group teaching, digital suites with access to high specification IT equipment, virtual reality suites and industry-standard nursing training facilities.

There will also be social and study spaces to allow students to meet and collaborate.

Phil Sayles, Principal and Chief Executive of Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “Bournemouth and Poole College’s degree-level courses focus on skills that will get students great jobs in sectors like engineering, digital, CGI and health.

“They are a vital and growing part of what the college does.

“Our Degree Centre will provide a dedicated base for our higher-level students and provide excellent technical facilities for learning.

“First-class facilities and access to the right equipment are important elements to students having a positive experience of higher education, and we’re pleased to open the Degree Centre to coincide with the start of the new academic year.

Phil Sayles.

“We offer a supportive approach to degree level study, with smaller groups and great support for students.

“The courses are all approved or validated by university partners or exam boards, so they have great impact on graduates’ CVs and enable them to quickly get jobs, get promoted and earn more.

“Many students choose to continue their studies with us, or decide to return to their studies as adult learners because of this.

“For local businesses, our career-focused higher education course helps them find and recruit people for the roles they need to fill, increasing productivity and local prosperity.

“That is why we are talking with the companies we work with, about how they can work with us in the Degree Centre and see their current and future employees benefit.”

Degree-level courses offered at Bournemouth & Poole College include:

• Level 4 Higher National Certificates in Construction Management.
• Level 5 Health Practitioner Apprenticeships.
• A degree in 3D CGI awarded through Arts University Bournemouth.
• Degree apprenticeships in engineering validated by Bournemouth University.

More information on degree level courses available at Bournemouth & Poole College can be found at thecollege.co.uk/degree-level.

Bournemouth & Poole College is home to around 12,000 students from across the region, UK and the world.

It is the largest provider of further education and apprenticeships in the area.