Dorset LEP invests over £700,000 in Bournemouth & Poole College

Dorset LEP is investing £712,800 into three facility upgrade projects at Bournemouth & Poole College in an effort to close Dorset’s skill gap.

New construction, design and digital media facilities will be introduced as these are three key areas in which Dorset needs to skill future workforce to boost the future local economy.

Construction, engineering and digital hubs will be created to focus on employability and enterprise skills, ensuring students are work-ready before they enter industry.

Dorset LEP Chair, Jim Stewart, said: “We are delighted to be able to allocate this government Local Growth Fund allocation to Bournemouth & Poole College.

“These new facilities and equipment will help the college meet the local skill gaps that have been identified by local employers and shown in the results of our Dorset 2020 Employer Skills Survey.

“These three projects will help young people more easily find work and stay in the area, which will boost Dorset’s economy. Dorset LEP are committed to investing in local young people and unlocking the area’s talent, making Dorset not only a great place to learn but to also work.”

Diane Grannell, Principal & Chief Executive of Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “We are very thankful to Dorset LEP for this investment. The new facilities and equipment mean our students can learn in more modern working environments with state-of-the-art equipment. This will increase their employability and progression into relevant industries, improving business productivity.”

The ‘Construction and Engineering Project’ will see an existing workshop refurbished to further increase construction and engineering teaching capabilities for BCP College’s North Road campus. This project has received £610,000 of funding to place all construction wet trades onto one campus while upgrading engineering equipment to extend the level of training offered. For example, investment into the engineering and electronics curriculum will see the introduction of virtual welding systems.

Bringing together plastering, painting, decorating and brickwork will enable the college to increase the number of courses it offers and support the delivery of new T-levels.

Apprentices will acquire an enhanced range of skills in line with the requirements of the majority of Dorset employers, which will impact positively on productivity within local businesses. This formula for success is expected to increase the number of employers the college will work with, subsequently increasing the future number of local apprenticeships.

This project started in February and aims to be completed by November 2020.

Secondly, Dorset LEP has awarded £85,928 to the college so it can open a ‘Digital and Enterprise Innovation Hub’ at both its campuses.

The two new hubs, expected to be open to students from October 2020, will focus on developing employability and enterprise skills for more than 4,000 full-time students and apprentices per year. Therefore, Dorset can expect more productive employees from the onset of employment, reducing the training and mentoring time required

Finally, a further £16,800 of funding will contribute towards the purchase of graphic pen-to-screen tablets for the college’s ‘Digital Design’ students. These, in-line-with-industry standard tablets, will improve the skills of 256 students every year. The equipment is expected to be available for student use from October 2020.

In 2015 Bournemouth and Poole was identified as having the fastest growing technology cluster in the UK. In 2017 a report by Tech City UK cited Dorset as having the highest concentration of high growth digital technology businesses in the country.

By upgrading the offering of a key college in the most populated area in Dorset, Dorset LEP ensures the county’s future of cutting-edge skills in engineering, construction and digital design.

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Notes to editors:              

Dorset LEP

Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership is a business led private and public sector partnership, promoting local economic growth and prosperity. Dorset LEP delivers projects that support and develop infrastructure, housing, skills, enterprise and business growth to achieve long-term economic benefit for all in Dorset. For more information visit the Dorset LEP website http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/

For more information visit the Dorset LEP http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/

Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

Some additional key facts:

• There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England.
• The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth.
• LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.