The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester officially open their new state-of-the-art facility in Manchester city centre

Brand new educational facility welcomes its first cohort of students and will benefit 1million Mancunians over its lifetime

The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester’s brand-new state-of-the-art facility – City Campus Manchester – officially opens its doors to students of all ages across the city of Manchester today as the new academic year gets underway.

Students in the campus are starting their journey to achieve technical excellence in their chosen course, and ultimately boost the regional economy with skilled workers. During the coming week the first students to benefit from the campus will take part in a range of induction activities to help them settle into college life ahead of teaching starting next week.  

Following build completion in July, the long awaited visually stunning four-storey campus offers a range of facilities creating an exceptional student experience and is home to the College’s Industry Excellence Academies for Hospitality and Catering, Creative and Digital Media, Music, Computing and Digital as well as their Centres of Excellence for Visual Arts and Performing Arts.

It is also home to a range of Higher Education courses such as the UCEN Manchester’s School of Computing and Cyber-Security, The Manchester Film School and The Arden School of Theatre and the School of Art, Media and Make-up. 

Situated right next door to the AO Arena – enabling easy commuting – the city centre campus provides students with industry-standard facilities including two theatres, dance and performance studios, TV, radio, and sound studios, professional art and photography studios, as well as a 40-seat restaurant run by students in the Industry Excellence Academy for Hospitality and Catering and all the latest software and state-of-the-art technology for cyber-security, 3D modelling, design and development.

Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal of The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester, commented:

“We are thrilled to be welcoming students into our brand-new City Campus Manchester for the first time today. The opening is a huge milestone as we welcome students to start using these amazing state-of-the-art facilities for the first time to help prepare them for a successful and rewarding career in industry.

“The campus is the result of many years of intensive planning and is the culmination of a collaborative partnership approach across the city, including the support of Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Willmott Dixon, Simpson Haugh and Bond Bryan architects, Pearson Fraser and many others working together to deliver a first class educational facility in the heart of Manchester.” 

“Manchester is a city that is rich with opportunities in the arts, business and technology, and this fantastic campus will provide the best possible environment for students to work towards achieving their full potential and becoming the next generation of industry excellence – and I can’t wait to see them using all the amazing facilities City Campus Manchester has to offer for the first time.”