Bradford College cements ambitious plans for transformational campus buildings
Work will begin on several large capital investment projects at Bradford College shortly.
Over the last two years, Bradford College has successfully secured nearly £29 million in funding. The considerable investment will enhance, refurbish, and build new aspirational facilities in the heart of Bradford.
The projects form part of Bradford College’s ambitious estates strategy. The capital masterplan centres around sustainable building facilities that open up pioneering student careers and support regional economic growth.
The largest capital project involves the construction of a new £17m Future Technologies Centre (FTC) on Thornton Road. Work on the purpose-built building will begin in the Spring following the demolition of Junction Mills and surveys by contractor Morgan Sindall.
The project was made possible thanks to £15m funding from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund (FECTF), secured in October 2022, boosted by a £2m College contribution.
A Focus on Sustainability
The FTC will be the new home of modern automotive and digital engineering curricula, such as electric/hybrid vehicles and advanced manufacturing.
The new Centre will be vital in supporting the growth of technology and low-carbon skills capability within West Yorkshire. The College’s Automotive and Digital Engineering Department will relocate from Bowling Back Lane to the brand-new premises once completed during the 2025/2026 academic year.
Christopher Malish, Bradford College Vice Principal Finance & Corporate Services, said:
“We’re thrilled to see work scaling up across our project sites after years of logistics and planning. We have an exciting year ahead as we develop sector leading facilities. This is a huge boost for the College but is also a transformative investment in Bradford city centre, that also supports the wider city centre development.
“These multi-million-pound investments will create cutting-edge learning environments for the local community, allowing the College to deliver on its mission of transforming lives. This will ensure we are at the forefront of teaching and learning, and these new capital projects will provide outstanding spaces and innovative technologies that delivers our vision of creating a better future for all through education and training.
“These new facilities will allow the delivery of curricula designed to address the big societal challenges, enrich our local workforce, showcase a range of inspiring careers, and encourage more businesses to relocate to our environmental and socially responsible region.”
Sheffield-based architects Bond Bryan opened an academy at the College’s Trinity Green Campus last year to prepare for the capital projects. The on-site team are guest lecturing, delivering workshops, offering site visits, and mentoring construction and engineering students. The academy serves as a purpose-built T Level classroom and a base from which to oversee estate projects on site.