A recent hard hat tour of South Eastern Regional College’s (SERC) new Performing Arts, Computing and Engineering facility, The SPACE, showed the progress construction on the project is making.
Principal Ken Webb and tutors from the School of Performing Arts and Engineering were on hand to lead the committee of Culture, Arts and Leisure on the tour and highlight particular aspects of the new facility which is set to welcome students in September.
SERC hosted the VIP tour for the nearly completed SPACE facility as part of a range of activities designed to celebrate the anticipated opening of the new building.
The brief event took guests on a walking tour of the 3,600-sq-ft building to learn about how it is set to benefit the local and wider communities and businesses.
The £12m building will be home to the School of Performing and Creative Arts, Music, Engineering and Computing and will support three major area of the economy; creative industries, computing and engineering.
Among the features of the building are a lobby open to the public with f loor to ceiling windows, a large multi-purpose auditorium and laboratories which will be used by the college’s engineering departments, designed to integrate teaching, learning and research.
The facility also boasts a high specification theatre, performing and rehearsal spaces, computing and engineering facilities, and an innovative, industry-led curriculum.
SERC head of Computing and Engineering Kieran McKenna explained: “The investment is not just about a building. It is about investing in people and part of the college’s commitment to provide first class education and skills training.
With Northern Ireland a major location of choice for the creative, engineering and computing industries, and the international success of local artists and businesses, this new ‘SPACE’ will provide a launch pad for the careers of students and will support the community and the economy.”