Northampton College is expanding its Booth Lane campus after securing major government investment that will create hundreds of additional student places and help meet growing demand for further education across Northamptonshire.
The College has been awarded funding through the Department for Education's Post-16 Capacity Fund to increase teaching capacity, ensuring more young people can benefit from high-quality education and training close to home.
The investment will support a substantial programme of development at the Booth Lane campus, including an extension to the main college building, the redevelopment of existing curriculum areas and new practical workshop spaces for construction, technology and engineering training.
The work will also see the building of additional high-quality classrooms, learning spaces and social facilities for students.
The project will enable Northampton College to accommodate significant numbers of additional students over the coming years as demand for further education continues to rise.
Across England, colleges are experiencing increasing pressure on places as larger numbers of young people reach post-16 education. The Government's Post-16 Capacity Fund has been established to help colleges expand in areas where additional student places are needed most.
Jason Lancaster, Principal of Northampton College, said: "We're seeing more young people choosing Northampton College because of the quality of our teaching, our strong links with employers and the excellent outcomes our students achieve.
"This investment means we can respond to that growing demand by creating more high-quality learning spaces and welcoming hundreds more students in the years ahead. It's an investment in our College, but also in the future of Northamptonshire and the opportunities available to local people.
"Every young person deserves access to outstanding education that prepares them for university, apprenticeships or employment, and this funding will ensure we keep matching that ambition as demand continues to grow."
The expansion builds on Northampton College's continued investment in its estate and learning environment, ensuring facilities keep pace with increasing student numbers while maintaining the high-quality experience for which the College is recognised.
As one of the country's highest-performing further education colleges, Northampton College supports around 8,000 students each year across full-time and part-time courses, apprenticeships, higher education and professional training.
The additional capacity created through the project will enable more learners to access industry-focused education while supporting local employers by developing the skilled workforce needed across a wide range of sectors.
For more information about courses available at Northampton College from this September, visit www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk.
