SMB College Group has recently made a number of positive steps towards safeguarding its future as a leading provider of excellent vocational education, ensuring that it continues to operate sustainably and with a forward-thinking approach to both education and business.
The college currently has three campuses situated across Leicestershire: Stephenson Campus, known for technical and trade courses in addition to a strong apprenticeship offering, Melton Campus, a bespoke Performing Arts Hub, and Brooksby Campus, a specialist land-based and Sport campus with a long heritage of training Agricultural practitioners and farmers - dating back to the end of the First World War. Across its three campuses, the college is proud to offer a variety of full-time college courses, T Levels, Apprenticeships, A Levels, Degrees and more across a wide array of subjects and sectors.
The college’s extensive array of industry partners includes big names such as Leicester Tigers, Redrow Homes, Barratt Developments, Worcester Bosch, Future Elite Sports, Leicester Riders Foundation and more, in addition to a wide range of local and regional employers. The college works closely with their industry partners to raise students’ aspirations and help them reach their potential with excellent qualifications, fantastic work experience opportunities and essential transferrable skills to help them excel in their future careers. Notable alumni of the college include Leicester Tigers stars George Martin, Tim Hoyt, Archie Vanes and Lewis Chessum; actor extraordinaire Adrian Scarborough; and Hollyoaks actor & runner-up for King of the Jungle, Owen Warner.
Recent positive changes at the college include the launch of a range of T Levels including Construction, Healthcare Sciences and Early Years Education, with a wide range of additional subjects launching in September 2023 and 2024. This exciting development includes new and improved facilities such as an on-site hospital ward, a wide range of professional construction equipment, and extensions to the college’s extensive Animal Studies facilities.
These exciting new T Level programmes, alongside the improved facilities, will aid in student’s learning, ensuring that they leave education work-ready after receiving excellent technical education at college, alongside an extensive guaranteed work placement within their chosen industry.
In addition, the college is making positive steps towards embedding sustainability into their study options via iniatives such as Hyve (a multi-college project with the aim of empowering automotive engineers through short courses in hydrogen, hybrid and ADAS technologies). The college’s Countryside Management and Agriculture teaching teams, along with their students, are also spearheading a number of sustainability projects at the Brooksby Campus, including a regenerative agriculture project, a river restoration project on the River Wreake, and extensive tree planting.
Along with the above developments comes exciting investment for Melton Theatre, which has been awarded funds to renovate and improve its facilities as a part of the Levelling Up Fund*. The college’s Melton Campus will become a bespoke Performing Arts Hub from September 2023, where Acting, Dance and Musical Theatre students will benefit from learning in a real industry environment alongside a fully commercial theatre. All other Melton Campus courses are moving a few miles’ down the road to the 850-acre Brooksby Campus, where students will benefit from learning on a stunning country estate with increased Sport and enrichment options.
£2.7million in funding* has also been announced for the decarbonisation of the Brooksby Hall site at the Brooksby Campus as a part of the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This is situated at the college’s 850-acre Brooksby Campus, and will include the installation of a more sustainable heating system and the introduction of solar power. This is in addition to further DfE-funded developments at the Brooksby Campus which will focus on bringing the future of sustainable agriculture to Leicestershire with a new agri-tech centre, sustainable buildings and more.
SMB College Group looks forward to a bright future and is excited to be seeing growth across a number of subject areas, including Sport, Plumbing & Gas, Land-based, Uniform Public Services, Electrical, Construction and more. In addition, securing the 2022 Apprenticeship Provider of the Year Award and the 2023 Nachural Entrepreneurship Award for Promoting Apprenticeships promises a positive future for the growth of apprenticeships at the college.
If you’re interested in joining a college that prides itself on the key values of Resilience, Ambition, Innovation, Sustainability, Ethics and Excellence, there’s still time to apply to study at the college starting this September! In addition, the college is currently recruiting for a variety of teaching and support roles. Find out more at www.smbcollgegroup.ac.uk.
* Funds awarded come with strict spending parameters