A MULTI-MILLION pound high-tech institute at Swindon College could be open as soon as 2021.

The news that a bid to create a £21 million government-backed Institute of Technology at the North Star campus was announced yesterday.

Swindon College, which was in fierce competition with 130 colleges around the country for the investment, said the centre will help train more than 1,000 students and apprentices for high-tech jobs.

It has provisionally set 2021 as the date for the institute to open, once significant works and state-of-the-art upgrades are completed on the campus off Great Western Way.

Carole Kitching, CEO of New College Swindon, said: “New College is delighted to be an anchor partner in the development of Swindon’s Institute of Technology.

“This is great news for Swindon and the wider region with the Institute set to become a beacon for higher level technical skills training and development, a real partnership of businesses with education providers.”

Swindon College principal Steve Wain added: “I would like to congratulate and thank all those colleagues and anchor partners who worked so hard in supporting, preparing and delivering the applications as part of the bid and for making this such a success.

“The capital investment will lead to a significant upgrade at the North Star site in Swindon and also at Cirencester College.”

The site is one of 12 Institutes of Technology across the UK, and will be backed by Oxford Brookes University and Cirencester College and some of Swindon’s biggest employers.

Rob Wheeler, who supported the bid on behalf of Nationwide, said: “The announcement that Swindon College will become an Institute of Technology is fantastic news for our home town, especially given the recent news regarding Honda.We recently announced plans to invest in technology within our own organisation, so to have a facility that focuses on developing skills in STEM subjects on our doorstep is incredibly exciting for Nationwide.

“The Institute of Technology will provide a long-term focus on growing the critical skills which Nationwide and local employers need and we look forward to the opportunities this will bring to the town.”

Stephen Marston, University of Gloucestershire vice-chancellor, said it was a step-change in the availability of education in advanced manufacturing, engineering, digital technologies, and life sciences.

“This will also be great for businesses, meeting their needs for higher level skills to drive future innovation and productivity.”