East Kent Colleges Group (EKC Group) unveiled draft plans for one of three schemes that make up the Sheerness Revival Project at two consultation days last week.
The extension of EKC Sheppey College will provide more places for learners and an enhanced curriculum at the College, as those living on the island can take advantage of opportunities for careers in key industries.
Newly developed curriculum plans will focus on learners aged 16-19 years and will be focused on creative, engineering and logistics pathways.
The extension plans were unveiled to residents and councillors at a consultation meeting at the College on Tuesday 6 February 2024. The feedback the College has received will help inform our final plans, which will be submitted for planning permission at the end of February.
Graham Razey, Chief Executive Officer of EKC Group, said:
“The extension of our EKC Sheppey College is such an exciting project for our Group and the whole community on the Isle of Sheppey, which we proudly serve.
“We have always been constrained by space at the college site, so haven’t been able to provide as wide a range of curriculum as we’d wanted.
“This project is going to enable us to expand outwards, building an incredibly exciting new extension to the existing College, and serving up fantastic new curriculum that will meet the needs of Sheppey’s employers.
“The consultation event we held was incredibly positive, with residents on the Island saying how excited they were to see this progressing.”
The extension, which is part of the £20 million Sheerness Revival project has been put together by Swale Borough Council after successfully bidding for funding from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
Cllr Monique Bonney, chair of the regeneration and property committee, said:
“It is great to know that the plans for the college extension are coming together, as there has been a lot of work behind the scenes to get to this stage.
“Projects like these don’t just happen overnight, but this consultation gave the public the opportunity to see some of our ambitious plans taking shape.
“The feedback the college received will help inform their final plans, which will be submitted for planning permission towards the end of February.
“This is a great example of partners working together to make a real difference to the lives of the people in Sheerness, and the wider area.”