Eastleigh College, part of South Hampshire College Group, has unveiled four new Centres of Excellence in time for the new 2024/2025 academic year.
September 2024 marks the launch of Eastleigh College’s new Centres of Excellence in Business and Finance, Health and Social Care, Bricklaying and Electrical Installation. These new centres are part of South Hampshire College Group’s wider £12 million cross-college investment programme in bespoke facilities to create immersive learning environments for students and offer innovative educational opportunities. These facilities will be open to students on career-focused courses including those on apprenticeships, Higher Technical Qualifications and especially T Levels, given South Hampshire College Group’s position as the lead provider of T Level qualifications in the Solent region.
Each Centre of Excellence offers cutting-edge resources specific to the subject area, with a new healthcare ward and elderly care mock flat created to support Health and Social Care students. Business students will benefit from a specialised boardroom, office spaces and interview rooms while Electrical Installation students will have access to advanced equipment that reflects modern industry technology. Bricklaying students will have a brand-new training facility that reflects a bricklayer’s work environment.
Rosie Sharp, Vice Principal of Eastleigh College, commented: “We are very proud to announce the launch of these new Centres of Excellence, successfully established in time for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. These new facilities look fantastic and do a brilliant job of simulating a workplace environment for students. This will make for an easier transition from college to the workplace and give students a greater degree of practical experience and immersion during their studies.”
Natasha Curzi-Micallef, Curriculum Director at Eastleigh College, commented: “It has been a busy summer preparing these new facilities and we are delighted to welcome our new cohort of students this morning and introduce these new environments to them. The hands-on experience students will gain from these will not only enhance their learning but also better prepare them for their futures beyond college.”
More Centres of Excellence are set to be unveiled across the college group, with Southampton College poised to reveal four further centres in Early Years, Engineering, Motor Vehicle and Digital Industries. These exciting developments follow South Hampshire College Group’s earlier unveiling of the state-of-the-art South Coast Institute of Technology at CEMAST in Lee-on-the-Solent, which specialises in Robotics, Electronics, Advanced Engineering, Digital and Maritime.
