Leeds City College opens campus at Leeds Dock

A new college site offering around 250 places for health, science and social care courses has been formally opened in Leeds.

Leeds City College’s Leeds Dock campus has been officially opened by Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families. Students began attending the site earlier this year.

The campus will initially provide around 250 places and is intended to increase access to courses in health science and social care. The college says the provision is designed to help meet demand for workers in those sectors across the region.

Facilities at the campus

The Leeds Dock site has five classrooms, a dining and social area, two quiet reflection rooms and a wellbeing hub. The college says the building has been converted into a learning environment for students.

At the opening, Cllr Hayden said the new facilities would provide more opportunities for young people to access education and training in Leeds. She also said the courses could help students gain skills and experience relevant to local employers.

Funding and skills needs

Leeds City College is part of Luminate Education Group. The group received an £8 million Government grant to support the expansion of post-16 education provision across Leeds. The grant is intended to increase opportunities for young people to access education and training, and to help address the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Diana Bird, the college’s executive principal, said the campus would create further opportunities for young people interested in health and social care careers. Luminate Education Group chief executive Bill Jones said the expansion reflected the group’s aim to widen access to education and support progression into work.

The campus also relates to regional skills priorities. The West Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan identifies health and social care as a priority sector, with skills shortages among the issues it seeks to address.

The college says the new site is part of its wider work to expand vocational and technical education in response to the needs of students, employers and the local community.