Stockport College

Stockport College

Established	1960s (Current name by merger in Jan 2006)
Type	Further education and Higher education
Principal	Lynn Merilion
Location	Stockport Greater Manchester England, United Kingdom
Local authority	Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Gender	Mixed
Campuses	Stockport Town Centre Campus
Former Campuses	Heaton Moor Campus, demolished late 2013
Website	www.stockport.ac.uk

Stockport College is a large educational institute in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, providing further education and higher education to those age over 15.^[1] It has a well-established history and plays a major role in providing educational opportunities for the community including school leavers, businesses and overseas students.

The college has academic and vocational courses from pre-GCSE to degree level. It is a major provider of post-16 education and training in Stockport and a key regional and national centre for a range of specialist courses.

The college merged with North Area College on 1 January 2006. At this time Stockport college was a struggling business and the integration of North Area was seen as a financial lifeline for Stockport college. The merged operation is a £30 million business across two sites. The sale of the land acquired from North Area College as a result of the merger was intended to boost Stockport college's finances. It was also renamed, simply, "Stockport College" at the same time (it was "Stockport College of Further and Higher Education" previously). They began a £100 million property redevelopment at the town centre campus and have recently acquired the former St Thomas' Hospital, due for completion in 2011.^[2] The project was given approval by the Learning and Skills Council, and work on phase 1, consisting of new construction engineering workshops due for completion in 2010, commenced in Spring 2008. Work on phase 2, which forms the bulk of the project, including a new college hub, was expected to start in 2009.^[3]

Town centre campus

The town centre campus is the original site of Stockport College of Further and Higher Education 53°24′16″N 2°09′31″W / 53.4044°N 2.1587°W / 53.4044; -2.1587Coordinates: 53°24′16″N 2°09′31″W / 53.4044°N 2.1587°W / 53.4044; -2.1587 and much of the campus dates back to the 1960s. The complete redevelopment of this site and some surrounding buildings is due for completion in 2011 to create a flagship educational campus for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. The total project value is estimated at around £100m from various sources. It will also include the closure and selling off of the Heaton Moor Campus, 53°25′44″N 2°11′02″W / 53.4288°N 2.1840°W / 53.4288; -2.1840 inherited from the merger with North Area College in 2006. The preparation work began in late 2007 with the acquisition of the old St Thomas' Hospital (53°24′08″N 2°09′36″W / 53.4021°N 2.1601°W / 53.4021; -2.1601) on Shaw Heath and neighbouring properties.

Heaton Moor campus

The Heaton Moor campus was the former North Area College before it merged with Stockport College in 2006, a former secondary school offering courses such as plastering and other vocational subjects. Signage for Stockport College Heaton Moor Campus was erected after the merger, but it has now been sold off to fund the property development at the town centre campus, with the new flagship campus making the college single-site. The Heaton Moor campus has now been demolished, and the site is pending redevelopment as 'Heaton Manor' by Bellway Homes. This will consist of residential properties.

Notable people

Andrew L.P. Ellis - 'This Is England' Star who plays Gary "Gadget" and 'The Royal' is currently studying for a diploma in ND Media

Sarah Harding - is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, and actress and is associated with the girl pop group Girls Aloud.

External links

• Stockport College web site

References