CONSTRUCTION work on Southern Regional College’s new £35 million educational campus in Armagh has got under way after demolition crews cleared the way for full build work to start.
The new campus, part of a £95 million investment by SRC and the Department for the Economy to create three new state-of-the-art educational campuses across the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon area, is now firmly on track to open in just over two years’ time.
The first of the three campuses to be built, the purpose-built facility in Armagh will comprise 14,000 sq metres of specialist accommodation across several curriculum areas. Contractor Felix O’Hare & Co will spearhead the construction.
The campus has been carefully designed to facilitate a major uplift in the provision of professional and technical education and training for a new generation.
Located on the existing Lonsdale Road site, the new campus will also specialise in the provision of innovation hubs through which students will engage with business and industry in real world industrial projects and challenges.
SRC chief executive Brian Doran said: "From planning to design and demolition, we have been eagerly anticipating this day. I am delighted to see our contractor fully on site and commencing construction. I look forward to seeing our new landmark educational campus solidly and steadily take shape in the months ahead.”
Around 200 jobs are being created within the construction phase of the project which also includes 25 apprenticeship opportunities being led by Felix O’Hare & Co.
SRC (www.src.ac.uk) has been named the best performing further education college in Northern Ireland after its six campuses, which includes Armagh, came out on top in and independent report by the Department for the Economy and Ulster Universityr.
The College has more than 34,000 full and part-time students and delivers a wide range of higher level professional and technical courses.
