Stockport College

Stockport College
Established 1960s
(Current name by merger
in Jan 2006)
Type Further education and
Higher education
Principal Ian Clinton (February 2014)
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 current principal is Ian Clinton, replacing Stephen Carlisle, who announced early retirement from the college in February 2014.

Ian Clinton has been principals of numerous colleges, including Blackburn College, Halton College, Joseph Priestley College, the latter two having being closed several years. After leaving his previous college, Clinton oversaw a giant expansion over a college in which he started in June 2004, taking over from his predecessor, Sheena Ewing, who announced her retirement in February 2004, after starting as vice principal in 1991, then becoming principal in 1997.

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°WCoordinates: 53°24′16″N 2°09′31″W / 53.4044°N 2.1587°W 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 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) 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

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Stockport College - Principal's Welcome". Stockport College. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  2. ↑ "The Independent - Getting into University - A-Z Universities and Colleges - Stockport College". The Independent. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  3. ↑ "Stockport College - Latest News - £100m Campus Gets LSC Go-Ahead". Stockport College. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2008.