South Devon College Hi Tech & Digital Centre shortlisted in Tech South West Awards 2020

South Devon College (@sdcollege) and its Hi Tech & Digital Centre have been recognised in the Best Education Initiative category of the Tech South West Awards.

This follows the recent success of the Hi Tech & Digital Centre being shortlisted in three categories for the Constructing Excellence South West Awards; ‘Building Project of the Year’, the ‘Value Award’, and ‘Client of the Year’.

Tech South West seeks to support and celebrate the region’s fastest-growing sector by connecting tech across the region, showcasing the tech sector in the region, and helping to create a talent pool.

The Best Education Initiative award recognises great initiatives in promoting and delivering tech education, be that one single organisation, school, college, university, group of schools, a department-specific initiative, tech cluster, group of businesses or any combination of the above. It must have impact, delivering great education outcomes directly and/or through sharing best practice and passing on the methods used and learnings gained to others.

The Hi Tech & Digital Centre was shortlisted due to the Centre’s focus on genuine workplace processes and structure by design, with it being a three-storey building and each level’s purpose being the different stages of product development. Seeing through the research and development, manufacturing, and the business marketing and distribution of products, students will not only study and gain specialist skills hands-on at the new Centre, but they will also invent and create products that will potentially be used internationally in the digital technology industry.

By developing resources with many leading companies in their field, the Hi Tech & Digital Centre will expose future generations of engineers and technologists to cutting edge technology and inspire the local community with this rapidly growing sector. The interior layout has been designed carefully to follow leading principles in future proofing an outstanding teaching and learning environment. Great emphasis is being placed on flexibility of space, the importance and need for social and collaborative study, and innovation areas and layouts of rooms which will mirror workplace processes and practice. This will include dedicated business workspace consisting of 15 individual business units plus two large open plan collaboration zones.

The College and the Hi Tech & Digital team are looking forward to seeing what the results are of this category but are also very honoured to have been recognised and shortlisted in this category.

The Hi Tech & Digital Centre (HTDC) combines £8.3m from the Heart of the South West LEP’s Growth Deal funding from the Heart of the South West LEP, as well as funding support from European Regional Development Fund, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Garfield Weston Foundation, Torbay Council, South Devon College and private sector investment. It will be a flagship facility, alongside Institutes of Technology developments in the country.

Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership said:

“The Hi Tech & Digital Centre is an excellent candidate for the South West Tech Awards, and I wish the team every success in the Best Education Initiative category.

“The LEP has invested £8.3m Growth Deal funding to build the centre, as hi tech and digital skills are increasingly important to the growth and prosperity of our local economy. We hope that the value of this new education facility will be recognised and rewarded by judges.”