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New City Centre Campus

Deal Signed on New City Centre Campus

The Manchester College - part of LTE Group – has acquired a 3.2 acre site on Great Ducie Street, with visionary plans to open a Centre of Excellence for its students in a brand new campus scheduled to open in the 2021/22 academic year.

This is the key focus of a £100m+ campus redevelopment strategy, which over the life of the new facilities will benefit more than one million students of Manchester and Greater Manchester, using skills and education to underpin personal success and economic futures for the Region’s businesses over the next fifty years.

The acquisition of this prime site close to major transport hubs and at the heart of a major regeneration scheme, has been made possible by the strategic and financial support of both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

The proposed new city centre campus forms a key part of Manchester City Council’s skills strategy, and will make a major contribution to the city’s vision for the Great Ducie Street ‘Strategic Regeneration Framework’. It also firmly aligns with GMCA’s collective vision across skills and education, linking with the 16-18 transport strategy, and closing the long-term educational attainment gaps to improve employment outcomes.   

John Thornhill, Chief Executive of LTE Group commented: “The vision for this exciting new educational learning strategy is to develop ‘centres of excellence’ in partnership with the Region’s employers, and with a strong focus on the skills required by the region’s growth sectors; including creative and digital, as well as business, financial and professional services in phase two.

 

This will be a landmark college for the city and Greater Manchester, providing students of the future with fresh and innovative ways of learning and preparing them for employment in a digital world.

John continued: "We are delighted to have the backing of the City Council and the Combined Authority in such a prime development for the City."

Nigel Murphy, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: “The Manchester College has a hugely important role to play in enabling Manchester, and Greater Manchester people to gain the skills, attributes and experience which will equip them for the jobs which are being created.

This is especially true in some of the fastest-growing industries such as creative and digital and business, financial and professional services. It’s great that the new city centre campus will be a centre of excellence for vocational and technical education for these sectors with opportunities for employers to become involved in helping to co-design and co-deliver skills training. 

“Through this and its other centres of excellence and community hubs, the Manchester College will make a major contribution to the city's work and skills strategy which seeks to support relevant training which connects Manchester people with the opportunities available through our growing economy. It’s great news that a site which once housed an iconic part of Manchester’s past will make such an important contribution to its future"

Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal of The Manchester College said: “We are delighted to announce that we have now acquired a site in Manchester City Centre; a key milestone in delivering, ultimately, a new City centre campus for the College and UCEN Manchester. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a centre of educational excellence for the City, with opportunities for thousands of students to join us.  We will announce more about our overall strategy in the months ahead as the details are agreed.”

The site is currently in use as a car park, and will be retained as a going concern in the medium term, while work takes place with the appointed design team on the plans. The Manchester College will retain its Campuses at City Labs, Openshaw, Harpurhey and Wythenshawe.

Learn more about The Manchester College.