A STATE-OF-THE-ART £21 million Institute of Technology offering cutting-edge computer suites, a full-fledged film studio and ‘a factory for the future’ is opening soon – and the Adver had an exclusive sneak peek.
Two years of work has transformed part of New College’s North Star campus to give apprenticeship, Level 4/5/6 diploma, and degree-level students the chance to work in a cutting-edge IT suite, film and TV studio, and engineering labs before going into the wider world of work.
The facilities have been developed with help from employers in the area who explained what sort of training young people will need to excel in careers for technology, science, engineering, health, and creative media industries.
It is expected to attract interest from around Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and South Gloucestershire due to the high-quality equipment and courses offered on-site. The aim is to give post-college students all they need to know to be able to start their ideal jobs right after graduation.
Director Neil Brayshaw said: “This is what Swindon has been waiting for, it’s a great opportunity. People have been calling for the town to have a university for years - and this is it.
“There’s a good heritage of training and development on this site. The institute is the next step in that tradition, and it’s in a prime location to become a hub for what comes next in Swindon.
“From day one, we can create the perfect employee to save them starting from scratch when they get a job. Other institutes are impressed by what we have, this is setting a precedent.”
Our tour began from the top floor of the Pegasus Tower, which is mainly a conference suite and cafeteria with panoramic views of Swindon. It can be used flexibly by studying students, lecturers giving talks, local business meetings, or events.
E-SPORTS
The fifth floor is dedicated to all things IT and focuses on something parents might be surprised to learn is a useful pathway to a decent job – videogames.
Competitive matches against other players online have become very popular, so the IoT has invested a sizeable sum in setting up an e-sports suite with gaming chairs, computers, a big screen, and plenty of Playstations, Xboxes and Nintendo Switches.
Mr Brayshaw added: “This would be my son’s dream bedroom. It’s a hook to get people into the digital and IT sector which teaches them the skills employers want and need.
“Even if you don’t go into e-sports or game testing as a career later, you can take what you’ve learned to all sorts of other jobs.
“This course is currently over-subscribed – we’ll probably have to build another suite due to the demand - and employers are interested in having days for team bonding here.”
FILM STUDIOS
Floor four features a film set with the sort of production equipment and editing facilities used by actual directors and crews, costing around £240,000 altogether.
The largest room includes green and ‘infinity’ screens which add realistic backgrounds to the actors in front of the lens, along with boxes full of lights, cameras, and set decorations.
A computer room allows each student to edit their footage before going into a soundproof luxury edit suite and control room to make the final tweaks and keep an eye on each studio camera in real time.
Sam Storey is the program leader for the Higher National Diploma course. He said: “I’m looking forward to seeing what the students do with this – they can make films, TV shows, concerts, all sorts.
“It’s been hard work but really fun getting this together with help from ex-students, Create Studios and Sandstorm Studios – there were 900 items on the shopping list! This is my 14th year at New College and it feels like this is what I’ve been waiting for.
“It looks really cool and will enable the students to be industry ready.”
CLASSROOMS AND COMPUTERS
The third floor is where the tower splits between the IoT and New College, so college students can get a glimpse of what awaits them in their future education.
It has shiny new classrooms and science labs which – like the conference suite – can be used by students or local businesses. There are computer rooms for ‘ethical hacking’ where students intentionally break into companies’ websites and databases to help them find and fix security flaws.
ENGINEERING LABS
A refurbished bridge with new civil engineering classrooms links the Pegasus Tower to the revamped Corvus Wing, which is mainly made up of a £2.4 million engineering department and the Institute’s dedicated entrance area.
Mr Brayshaw added: “We want to encourage more women and people from different backgrounds into STEM.
“We’ve turned what was quite a grotty part of the campus into clean and safe spaces which will wow people. If this doesn’t inspire them to study engineering, I don’t know what will.”
Assistant principal Darran Marks ordered equipment to make the engineering hub similar to what is seen at BMW, Formula 1, and other major manufacturers.
Students learn the fundamentals and practise on older machines before moving on to new £160k laser cutters for timber, metal engraving and plastics.
They can work with automated robotic arms which are programmed by being moved around physically instead of inputting lines of code, and 3D printers which print composites and metal objects.
FESTO rooms offer factory-style elements and parts on a smaller scale to real-world plants so students get the hang of the process for producing, picking, placing and quality assurance.
A metrology room which cost £210,000 alone lets them test and measure metals, a £120k electronics workshop provides space for soldering and other tinkering, and a welding area teaches that skill with hands-on and virtual sessions.
Welder Douglas Wilby said: “It’s out of this world. I’ve got 44 years of experience and worked with most other welding companies in Wiltshire - there’s nothing better than what we have here.”
Darran Marks said: “These are great bits of kit to help students understand the principles of these machines and we are ahead of what some employers have.
“Manufacturers want to use these facilities. You’d have to go to Portsmouth or London to get anything else like this, so it’s great for the region.
“I’ve been here 18 months and not had a full cohort of students yet so I’m looking forward to welcoming them in and seeing the machines functioning, and eventually they can walk down the boulevard, graduation cap in hand, having learned and developed their skills.”
Lastly, there are changing facilities to clean up and get in and out of boots and overalls which look more like a leisure centre than what you’d normally see in a school setting.
The Institute of Technology has involved work by New College, Swindon Borough Council, MPs Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson, the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Project, Oxford Brookes University, Cirencester College, the University of Gloucestershire, Excalibur Communications, Nationwide, Create Studios, Catalent, Recycling Technologies, and Render.
There will be an open day with tours of the institute on October 8. Visit www.sawiot.ac.uk
COVID SETBACKS
The IoT welcomed its first cohort of students last September, which was meant to be the original completion date for the ambitious project before Covid threw a few spanners in the works and caused some delays.
Mr Brayshaw added: "Covid impacted our ability to purchase materials and get workers in at the right times, but it did allow us to refine a few things and now second year students will get the full experience.
“The frustration for the last few months is not having a building to showcase it.
"I’ve been selling a vision, but now we can finally show people around and they can see it for themselves, with wide eyes and big smiles.
“If you build it, they will come - and now we want more people to get involved."
NEW COLLEGE PRINCIPAL
This September, there will be around 1,000 students studying at the institute, with 4,000 expected by the education hub's fifth year.
New College principal Carole Kitching said: “If employers are confident there’s a skilled workforce, they are more likely to come and invest in Swindon.
“Technology is not just for techies. It’s part of all our lives and is playing a big role in every industry and every job.
“It’s important to make that technology accessible in this region, working hand in glove with employers on co-delivery and design work to get their input and advice on what elements need to be included.
“It’s really exciting to see.”
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