Since the creation of The Bedford College Group in 2017, the Buildings Projects Team has worked tirelessly to deliver highly ambitious objectives ensuring the Group’s buildings and physical learning environments at over 20 sites meet the needs of the local community.
Within two years, the small team of only five staff have managed the upgrading of several buildings, the opening of two Learning Centres in Northamptonshire and the creation of three brand new buildings on three different campuses, expanding the reach of the College’s provision and ensuring thousands of local people have access to high-quality resources.
In 2018 the Building Projects Team delivered the College’s £5.2 million Buchanan Centre for advanced engineering at the riverside Bedford Campus which Hilary Chipping, SEMLEP Chief Executive said was: “…giving students access to state-of-the-art equipment and training.”
In 2019, the £3.65 million Zoological Education Centre at Shuttleworth, Bedfordshire opened to animals and students, the first of its type developed closely with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
The Team are now working on the £10million redevelopment of the Wellingborough Campus, supported by SEMLEP through the Local Growth Fund, which is opening this September. The new look campus will ensure the local community, which has three ‘Lower Super Output Areas’ within the 10% most deprived areas in England have access to high-quality further education and social mobility opportunities.
