£37 million Bournemouth college transformation unveiled as students prepare to move into new building
College students in Bournemouth will have access to ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities in catering, computing and beauty from September 2nd
After two-years of work, Bournemouth and Poole College will open its new £37 million Compass Building in Bournemouth on Wednesday.
The project, delivered by Kier Construction, has created a four-storey learning centre designed to accommodate up to 1,000 students.
Courses based in the new building include business, catering and hospitality, digital and computing, hair and beauty, media, sport, travel and tourism and uniformed public services.
Among the ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities are new IT suites, a specialist green-screen media studio and a travel and tourism training centre incorporating part of a real passenger aircraft cabin, alongside a working departure lounge.
Students studying hospitality will have access to Escoffier, a 66-seat restaurant and bar open to the public.
The facility includes dedicated meat and fish preparation areas, a pastry kitchen and professional-grade equipment intended to replicate the working environment of high-end hotels and restaurants.
The new Horizon Hair and Beauty salons have similarly been designed to professional standards and will also welcome members of the public, giving students the opportunity to practice treatments on real clients.
At the top of the building is The Observatory, a 160-seat dining, social and events space.
Meanwhile, the ground floor includes a new sports hall, gym and climbing wall, while landscaping has added lawns and new walkways outside.
But perhaps the most striking element of the project is the restoration of the college’s 150ft clock tower.
The £12 million restoration has seen specialist craftsmen and masons work to return the historic structure, dating back to 1910, to its former appearance.
Phil Sayles, principal of Bournemouth and Poole College, said the project represented an investment not only in students but in the wider community and local workforce.
“Every aspect of the facility has been designed with the future in mind,” he said.
Mr Sayles said the college had worked closely with employers to understand the skills local industries would need, with the new facilities intended to give students experience in environments that reflect the workplaces they are preparing to enter.
The opening marks a major new chapter for the college, while still preserving a distinctive piece of Bournemouth’s educational heritage.