Funding secured for £10.5m Rotherham university centre

A £3.5m funding boost from the Sheffield City Region has been secured for a proposed university centre in Rotherham.

Rotherham College, part of RNN Group, will open the new £10.5m higher education centre to students in Autumn 2018, offering a new programme of degrees and degree apprenticeships.

The project is aimed at addressing the skills gap in Rotherham as currently only 23% of people in the town have a higher education qualification compared to the national average of 36%.

This should enable people to take up higher skilled jobs, progress in their careers, increase their income and help attract employers to Rotherham.

Commencing in June, work on the Rotherham Higher Education and Skills Centre involves the construction of a 3,300m² campus on Doncaster Gate in the town centre.

The university centre will include open plan aided learning space, a café and social area, and meeting and interview rooms.

A wide range of higher education programmes will be available to students and employers for the first time, with over 50 courses expected to be running by 2020.

The new centre will focus on courses in key economic sectors where the local economy needs more qualified people to fill jobs; which include digital, creative, health, technical construction, engineering and leadership and management.

RNN Group has been working with employers to develop courses that will address these skills gaps and will be offering degree apprenticeships at the university centre, which are designed to get people in work into higher education training while they earn.

Ways to access higher education also include new degree programmes for students from local schools and sixth form colleges, and for adult returners to education, who will benefit financially with lower tuition fees (paid for by Student Loans) below £7,500 per year, compared to £9,000 or over at many universities, and the ability to live at home.

John Connolly, chief executive of the RNN Group, said: “This project will create a real skills revolution in the town, helping people to achieve things they never thought possible, without having to move away to university and have a huge debt looming over them.

“There are many advantages for businesses which engage with the project too, and we have already consulted with 200 employers locally and continue to forge close partnerships with major companies, to ensure we offer courses to enhance and build the workforce of the future.”

Rotherham Council Leader Cllr Chris Read added: “Having a university centre here in Rotherham is a key part of the town’s regeneration and hugely exciting for the borough.

“The new development will see the number of people with higher level skills in Rotherham increase, benefiting both individuals and businesses and will provide a professional venue where businesses can train their staff through programmes which suit their needs or work collectively to offer or access training.”

Sheffield City Region provided funding of £3.5m towards the project, with the balance coming from RNN Group.

Rotherham Higher Education and Skills Centre aims to attract 1,000 additional students over the first five years. It is also predicted that through higher education training, students will develop the skills they need to set up around 30 new businesses, creating jobs and opportunities for the future.