Margate's new £6.3 million investment for digital college
A new technical campus, EKC Margate Digital, will be set up in a vacant former retail building. This will bring education to Margate High Street with the help of over £6 million from the Levelling Up Fund.
The new campus for technical study will:
- help future generations gain qualifications, including the new T Level
- help to create a skills pipeline for the in-demand digital sector
Specialised qualifications offered
The campus is expected to deliver training for up to 300 students each year. This includes specialised qualifications in creative technologies such as:
- animation and illustration
- TV and film production
- app and web design
- programming
- coding
Images credit: EKC group
Lucy McLeod, Chief Education Officer, EKC Group, said:
This provision promises to be incredibly exciting for Margate, the Thanet District, and the wider region, developing the skills that industry needs and providing a pipeline of sector-ready talent to help grow the digital economy in Thanet.
The curriculum will be focussed, offering a clear ladder of progression right from Level 2 Diplomas all the way through to Level 5 HNDs and beyond.
A boost for Margate town centre
The central location will:
- ensure that young people are able to live and learn locally
- encourage Net Zero learning
- help to ‘grow our own’
The project will boost the local economy by:
- encouraging investment from digital and creative businesses
- increasing footfall in the town centre
Councillor Ash Ashbee, Leader of Thanet District Council, said:
Developing a new educational facility in Margate will bring significant opportunities to the district and beyond. The aim is to help grow new skills and to create better prospects with higher quality skilled employment.
In addition to enhancing the opportunities available to develop new expertise and training in the digital sector, this project will also breathe new life into our high street, creating a higher footfall and bringing new audiences to experience our original seaside town.
Other Levelling Up investment
Groundworks carried out to enable the new campus were completed in Spring 2022. These were funded by the government Towns Fund.
This provided a foundation for significant further investment including the £19.8 million Levelling Up Fund for Ramsgate.
Find out more about levelling up.