WESTON College has been granted university centre status, bringing Weston-super-Mare one step closer to becoming a university town.
The announcement was made at the college’s annual business breakfast this morning (Wednesday), as principal and chief executive Dr Paul Phillips confirmed the college is to be designated a university centre of the University of the West of England Bristol (UWE).
The college already has a partnership with UWE but the move means it will be able to expand its courses and be included in the UCAS option choices as ‘University Centre Weston’.
Some of the University Centre’s degrees will be taught in the resort’s historic Winter Gardens, when it is redeveloped next year.
Dr Phillips said: “Getting university centre status was crucial in terms of the Government’s development agenda, but most importantly to complete the regeneration of North Somerset.
“It means that the college, with its multi-academy trust, its business development centre, and now with its university centre, can offer the full provision of learning for our economy.”
Weston College currently provides education to nearly 30,000 students, with more than 860 of those currently enrolled on degree-level courses.
For more, see the print copy of the Weston Mercury, out tomorrow (Thursday).
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