Work is starting at Crawley College for a new Sussex and Surrey Institute of Technology (SSIoT) centre.
The college, which is part of the Chichester College Group (CCG), is building a new £15million centre on the site, at College Road in Crawley.
The new, four-storey, building will provide high-quality learning environments housing specialist construction, engineering and digital ‘Learning Factories’, designed to be inclusive for all students attending the new institution.
It will sit to the rear of the campus, next to the STEM Centre, which opened in 2020.
Andrew Green, Chief Executive of the Chichester College Group, said: “The SSIoT is already underway, with satellite centres opening at sites at our partner organisations, and we are making strides in shaping the technical curriculum in response to the skills needs of our region.
“This new building will give us more opportunities to educate and train people to address the skills shortages in the engineering, construction and IT industries.
“It is also another step forward in our long-term commitment to developing Crawley College, investing in the modernisation of our facilities, with the aim to inspire, drive and support the career aspirations of young people in our local area.”
The building project received approval following Crawley Borough Council’s planning meeting on Tuesday 23 April.
The designs include a number of features to reduce energy consumption, and integrate renewable energy technologies, including the installation of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and air source heat pumps, as well as a water harnessing and recycling system to reduce water consumption and wastage.
Andrew added: “The college group is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and it was important to us that our new building helps us on our journey towards NetZero.
“We are training our students in new sustainable technologies, and it’s only right that our new buildings are developed using these technologies as well – helping us to create a more sustainable campus for our students to enjoy for years to come.”
The building is set to open to students in Autumn 2025.
Alongside specialist training facilities, the centre will also house spaces to support Crawley’s Town’s Fund curriculum focus on sustainable technologies and building practices, as well as collaboration and event space.
The Sussex and Surrey Institute of Technology is collaboration between education providers in the region. Led by CCG, the consortium is also comprised of the University of Sussex, University of Brighton, University of Chichester and North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot).
It also supported by several industry partners, including Roche Diagnostics, Gatwick Airport, Southern Water, Wates Group, Irwin Mitchell, Pearson, Coast to Capital, NatWest and Gatwick Diamond Business.
IoTs form a key part of the Government’s policy to increase higher technical education across the country, as it aims to encourage more people to continue studying as well as attracting people of all ages to upskill or retrain.
In particular, they are designed to spearhead the delivery of higher technical education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, bring colleges and universities together with employers to equip local economies with a skilled workforce.