Major new additions to Swindon’s New College University Centre are in the works.

Two more training centres will be opened within the next two academic years.

This comes after a busy time for the educational facility, which merged with Swindon College in 2020 and opened expensive expansions to help students study and learn useful skills for their future.

The £21 million University of Technology for degree-equivalent courses in engineering, film and TV, e-sports, IT, business, and science fully opened in November 2022 and represented the single biggest investment in skills training ever made in the entire south west.

The Swindon and Wiltshire Innovative Technology Care Hub (SWITCH) at Queens Drive opened last May, giving future doctors and nurses a high-tech training area with realistic hospital wards and lifelike, responsive mannequins.

After principal Carole Kitching retired in August, her interim successor Leah Palmer opened the £2 million Animal Management Centre at North Star in December, which replicates the environment of zoos, animal parks, and safari parks to give students helpful experience working with wildlife and livestock.

This week, the college confirmed that Ms Palmer will be continuing in the top role permanently.

Speaking to the Adver, the new head revealed further changes in the pipeline that should be finished in the near future.

A civil engineering training provision aims to be ready by September this year and a new electric vehicle training centre is on the cards for September 2025.

There will also be a wider reconfiguring of both campuses to improve access to the wrap-around support services offered to students during their time at the college.

Ms Palmer said: “It’s a transformational journey and an exciting time.

"We have plans to invest in emerging and green technologies and support a learner-first ethos to encourage their aspirations and ambition and show that nothing is unachievable.

“Acquiring funding for these investments can be tricky as you have to apply and bid for a lot of it, but I’m pleased with the capital that we have.

“We want to future-proof what we offer because careers are changing and jobs that are around now might not be in five or ten years’ time.

“It’s important to review our curriculum regularly and always be one step ahead, making sure we are not just fit for purpose now but also for the years to come.”