Sheffield College: Olive Grove Campus secures £2.6m to revamp trade skill courses for apprentices

The Sheffield College has secured a £2.6 million cash injection to expand facilities for apprentices and students who study and train at its Olive Grove Campus.

Based on Olive Grove Road, the campus specialises in engineering, motor vehicle, gas fitting and plumbing courses and qualifications.

Now the campus estate is set to expand following the approval of £2.6 million from the Department for Education’s Post 16 Capacity Fund for 2023/24.

The college says upgrading the facilities is part of wider college plans to "transform Olive Grove Campus into an Advanced Technology Centre for the city".

Expansion plans include

• five motor vehicle bays including three ‘clean’ bays for electric /hybrid cars.
• two motor vehicle body and paint bays.
• ten welding bays.
• five new classrooms
• A two-storey building extension for the campus' automotive and engineering workshops

Andrew Hartley, deputy chief executive for The Sheffield College, said: “This is fantastic news for our college community as well as the city and beyond.

“Investing in the latest facilities to provide our apprentices and students with the best possible learning experience for their future careers is our top priority.”

The upgrade will mean more long-term capacity for apprentices and students , ahead of an anticipated rise in numbers.

Construction work is expected to start in January 2024 and be completed by September 2024.

The Sheffield College offers a range of vocational and technical qualifications, including T Levels and higher level courses, at Olive Grove Campus.

It comes in the same week the College is closing its Peaks Campus to students despite objections from families, councillors and an MP.

The College announced in May the Peaks Campus would not be welcoming any students back from September 2023, with the current student cohort being relocated to other sites.

The decision was met with outrage from the affected students, who said the Peaks Campus' vital SEND and neurodivergent facilities will mean some of them will now struggle.

Speaking in June, a college spokesperson said: "Our high needs students are offered the same support regardless of the campus where they study. Around 21 per cent of all high needs students are based at Peaks Campus currently; the majority, 79 per cent, already choose to study at our other campuses.

"Furthermore, results from our most recent student survey showed that 95 per cent of our high needs students based at our Hillsborough and City campuses agreed that the college has created a positive environment in which to learn."