New state-of-the-art creative campus coming to London’s East End

A new pioneering creative industries campus and facility for post-16 education will open in Aldgate, London next September, in response to the rapid growth of the sector.
Access Creative College has revealed plans for a revolutionary, state-of-the-art creative campus for studies in gaming, esports, music, media, and computing.
With the creative industries now contributing £115 billion to the UK’s economy, the specialist college has taken 19,000 sq. ft on London’s Commercial Road to educate up to 1,000 students in bleeding-edge and fast growth creative specialisms.
The campus will feature Access’ first dedicated esports classroom, complete with competition wings, a multi-functional event venue and a live music suite fitted with innovative recording studios, rehearsal rooms and production pods.
Within this new campus, Access Creative College will provide a ‘super space’ for each of its creative disciplines. Super spaces will incorporate traditional classrooms, alongside specialist facilities to champion a practical curriculum, with the flexibility to divide the space as required. For example, in the music super space, students will be able to watch, listen and use a recording booth within the classroom environment during a lecture or book it separately for private use in free periods.
With places for up to 1,000 students each academic year, the college will deliver over 20courses across its 5 specialisms including B-TECs, T-Levels, RSL and Access to HE qualifications.
The new campus is a significant milestone in Access Creative College’s 30-year history and will see the relocation and substantial expansion of its existing Shoreditch campus. The College’s London campuses have been a training ground for its alumni, including Rita Ora, Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne, Jamie Morrison, Flo, Nova Twins, JP Cooper and Vanessa White.
Jason Beaumont, CEO, Access Creative College explains:
“This is a hugely exciting moment in the Access journey. Over the last 20 years we’ve been developing creative talent here in the Capital. But the creative industries are growing, and we must grow with it.
“DCMS estimates that the UK creative industries are worth upwards of £115 billion. Globally it’s an industry worth over $2 trillion and is the highest employer of people in the 15-29 demographic.”
Sub-sectors of the creative industries, such as gaming and the hugely popular and prevalent esports market are huge growth areas. The eSports market is a billion dollar industry in its own right. as of 2022 the global market value was $1.38 billion and is forecast to reach $1.87 by 2025, with an estimated global viewership of 650,000,000
But with existing skills gaps across the creative and entertainment industries, Access Creative College recognises the challenge to meet this growth starts with training and education.
Beaumont, adds: “With sub-sectors such as gaming and esports growing rapidly, we need to meet this growth at HE and FE level, giving young people with a passion for these industries the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to go onto forge a meaningful career in the creative and interactive entertainment industries.”
Nottingham Trent University’s Confetti Institute of Creative Technology has also taken 35,000 sq ft in the same building, for their first campus in the capital.
Through a partnership with Access Creative College the two institutions will work together to deliver a clear educational pathway for students to progress into higher education. This will enable them to continue specialist music and esports education in the city.
The new campus will be housed within the former London Metropolitan University campus on Commercial Road. Owners, LaSalle and Trilogy are carrying out a retrofit and extension of the estate to create a major creative education centre.
Access Creative College are due to commence fit out of the new campus early in the New Year, readying the college for the start of the new academic year in September 2023.
For more information on Access Creative College, its courses and campuses visit www.accesscreative.ac.uk and follow @accesscreativecollege on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, and @Access_Creative on Twitter.
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