College wins £5m funding for new digital training centre

Brighton Metropolitan College (the MET) has been handed £5 million to build a new centre for creative and digital industries on its city centre campus.
The MET's campus on Pelham StreetThe MET's campus on Pelham Street
The MET's campus on Pelham Street

The MET – formerly City College – will redevelop its Pelham Street base, with a new centre to ‘train the next generation of creative and digital workers’.

The move is in response to the growing digital sector in the city, which the college said contributes around £1 billion a year to the Greater Brighton economy.

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It said the project will aim to address ‘long-standing skills shortages’ in the area by giving local employers access to graduates with the skills they need.

Nick Juba, chief executive of the Brighton METNick Juba, chief executive of the Brighton MET
Nick Juba, chief executive of the Brighton MET

The £5 million grant is from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and will be matched by a the college through the disposal of land to the east of Pelham Street.

Nick Juba, MET chief executive said: “Brighton MET is on the up. Earlier this year we opened a brand new £10m Construction and Trades Centre in East Brighton and this new investment in our city-centre campus is further evidence of our commitment to providing outstanding technical and professional education for everyone in our community.

“We’re serious about ensuring our students get the skills and experience they need for successful careers in the creative and digital sectors, and our new state-of-art facilities will provide a perfect environment to make this happen.”

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Jonathan Sharrock, Coast to Capital Chief Executive said: “The Pelham Campus redevelopment is a fantastic project which we are thrilled to be a part of. Addressing the skills gap in the region is vital to its continued success and improvements to the college will give students in Brighton and the surrounding areas the technical training they need to join the advanced digital workforce. We look forward to working with Brighton MET as the project progresses.”

The creative and digital industries centre will be housed in a new 2,700m2 state-of-the-art facility integrated into Pelham Tower which will be refurbished, the college said.