Responding to the needs of local businesses and sustaining and growing land based education across Greater Lincolnshire

Completed in 2016, Growth Deal funding enabled the construction of the second phase of the Bishop Burton Riseholme College development at the Lincolnshire Showground, ensuring that land-based education is sustained across Greater Lincolnshire, responding to the requirements of key local sectors.

The expansion included 1,836sqm of new educational floorspace, including the provision of a centre for food and agri-food science; health and nutrition; animal behaviour; sports and health science; and an all-weather multi-sport test track.

The Food and Agri-food Science Centre provides a platform for the development of the technologies, skills and knowledge, which are needed to make farming practices more sustainable and minimise the impact on the environment.

At the Health and Nutrition Centre, state of the art food processing facilities include baking equipment; meat and poultry processing; dairy production equipment; sensory analysis unit, and food micro-biology laboratory.

The Animal Behaviour Centre includes an indoor open-plan space, which can be sub-divided to facilitate project work on specific animal species.

The Sports and Health Science Centre provides the essential link between the development of health and fitness and the new programmes in Agriculture, Food Science and Human Nutrition.

The primary impact of this project was to sustain and grow land-based education in Greater Lincolnshire.  Since opening, the College has supported enhanced learning opportunities for over 3,000 students and over 300 apprentices and is proud to be in the top 5% of college’s nationally and boasts student achievement rates of more than 6.5% higher than the national average.

Agriculture student Eleanor Hopper is a fantastic example of the college’s new provision upskilling the local workforce for the benefit of employers. On completion of her BTEC Level 3 Agricultural Diploma Eleanor opted to move straight into industry and is now a Farm Assistant at a farm in nearby Langworth. This role enables her to apply all the practical and theoretical knowledge acquired during her course, including crop production, livestock husbandry and machinery operations. Through her broad experience across countryside management, arable and livestock, Eleanor is making a worthwhile and valuable contribution to her employer and the wider region.

Animal management student, Sam Sherriff, from Lincoln, has benefited from the enhanced animal behaviour provision during his time studying for a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma. Showing an aptitude for laboratory-based work and skill and diligence with practical work, Sam was awarded Silver in the Pearson’s BTEC Land-based Learner of the Year Awards 2021. Rather than moving into employment following graduation, Sam has progressed to develop higher-level skills with a degree in Zoo Management, which will significantly improve his employability and ability to contribute to the region’s economy.

Chief Executive and Principal, Bill Meredith commented “Being able to provide over 3,000 students with access to the college’s outstanding provision thanks to this investment is a fantastic achievement. An inspiring and engaging learning environment in combination with our specialist technical education, specifically designed to prepare students for industry, is paying dividends with our student achievement rates more than 6.5% higher than the national average.”

 

The relocation and expansion of this specialist campus for land-based education in Lincolnshire continues to ensure that the county remains at the forefront in the development of new skills and innovative technologies in the agri-food sector and its many associated industries.  This impressive campus provides an exciting range of state-of the art facilities that offer opportunities for people looking to study and work across our area. In addition, it is also providing local businesses with the people and skills they need to grow, create new jobs and access new market opportunities across the world.  

Pat Doody, Chair, Greater Lincolnshire LEP

 

To find out more about Riseholme College and the range of further education courses on offer please visit https://www.riseholme.ac.uk

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