Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today officially opened the new £30million Erne Campus of South West College in Enniskillen.
Standing at 8,200 m2, the new, fully accessible, state-of-the-art campus opened its doors to students for the first time at the beginning of September and can accommodate 800 full-time students, 2,000 part-time students and 120 staff.
Designed by Hamilton Architects and constructed by Enniskillen-based Tracey Brothers Ltd, the Erne Campus is one of the world’s most sustainable educational buildings, having secured both PassivHaus Premium and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations.
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Speaking after performing the official opening, Gordon Lyons said: “The new complex is a superb example of what we can achieve in Northern Ireland and will provide a high quality educational environment for learners for many years to come.
Mr. Lyons also added: “The building has secured world-class sustainability accreditations, the first in the UK to do so, and the college will capitalise on this by delivering a series of innovative and complementary learning and skills programmes, including wind, biomass, sustainable construction, hydrogen, energy storage and sustainable food.”
Chief Executive of South West College Michael McAlister said: “We are delighted to officially open the doors to the Erne Campus. A long-standing vision has been achieved today with the opening of this fantastic building which has been designed with the needs of our students, community and industry partners firmly in mind.
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In addition to a high-end Cyber Centre, students can avail of an ultra-modern Learning Resource Centre equipped with the latest IT equipment and an extensive library of hard copy and digital resources. The Erne Campus also has an array of science labs, computer suites and breakout areas to support STEM education.
Other resources include media suites, training and production kitchens for hospitality and culinary arts, and high specification hairdressing and beauty salons which have been designed to ensure students are industry-ready when they complete their qualifications.
Source: Written from press release.
