£4.9m funding boost for new teaching facility

City College Norwich has been awarded £4.9m to enhance its teaching facilities which will see 12 additional classrooms added to its Ipswich Road site.  

The project will be funded by the Department of Education through their Post-16 Capacity Fund. The fund provides money for 16 to 19 providers, further education colleges and sixth form colleges, to create additional student places where demand for post-16 education is growing.      

Set to open in September 2027, the £4.9m teaching block will consist of 12 new classrooms, allowing a further 148 students to learn at the college. The classrooms will support the delivery of STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), digital, business and health-related courses, giving students access to modern learning environments and industry-standard facilities.  

These are sectors with growing demand for skilled workers, and the new facility will help more students gain the knowledge they need to progress to higher education, apprenticeships and employment, while improving their overall student experience. As well as providing additional classrooms, the new teaching block will offer lasting benefit for employers and the wider community - supporting economic growth throughout the region. 

The new building will be within the Southern courtyard, fully surrounded by the Norwich Building. Designed with sustainability in mind, the building will be energy-efficient and support the college's commitment to achieving net zero. 

Jennifer Eves, Chief Operating Officer at City College Norwich, said: