NORTHERN POWERHOUSE MINISTER CHAMPIONS PLANS FOR NEW £6 MILLION HEALTH, INNOVATION AND STEM CENTRE

Bury College was delighted to be joined by Jake Berry, Cabinet Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth recently and two local MP’s James Daly (Bury North) and Christian Wakeford (Bury South). The Minister visited the college to see first-hand how Government, GMCA and college funding is being invested into a brand new £6 million Health, Innovation and STEM Centre which will be a driver for economic growth.

The college has worked closely with the GMCA and Bury Council to ensure this new centre of excellence, which is due to open on September 2021, will offer courses in vital areas such as Healthcare, Science and Technology subjects to support local and Greater Manchester skills priorities. Bury College and their partners are confident that these courses will be in the best interest of future learners and equip them with strong, relevant employability skills. 

During the visit, the Minister met with Bury Council officials and Bury College leaders, where they shared their support of the Ministers vision and how this valued investment will help the economic growth of Bury and Greater Manchester.

Charlie Deane, Principal and Chief Executive, Bury College, said:

“Bury College is delighted to be part of the economic growth across Bury and Greater Manchester.  We have invested £25 million in the last eight years and the brand new £6 million Health, Innovation and STEM Centre is due to open in September 2021. This opportunity has been driven by local growth funding and we have worked closely with the GMCA and Bury Council, as well as many valued employers, to enable us to deliver opportunities which will support future prosperity.   

This vital investment will give young people the opportunity to gain essential skills needed to secure employment within the health and care system. It will also support the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy which aims to ensure that individuals reach their potential and employers have the skills they need.”

Jake Berry, Cabinet Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, said:

“We are here at Bury College to celebrate a brand new £6 million centre which will be opening in the heart of Bury and will be crucially educating the next generation of young people in Science and Technology with a focus on the Health sector, which is clearly going to be a big growth area for us here in the North West and more widely.

During our visit we also talked about the significant growth and success we have seen at Bury College over the past 10 years. I think this development is an extraordinary story of ambition by the college and its leaders and highlights an exceptional partnership between the college and the government and how we are investing in the future of young people across the region.”

Mo Isap, Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership board member and lead for Education and Skills, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the College’s vision, hard work and dedication coming to fruition. Our investment into Bury College and similarly the capital funding provided by the GMCA Growth Fund across our other GM Colleges will ensure we have the right skills in the right places to realise the prosperity our Local Industrial Strategy will bring.   

We have always taken the longer term view in building a sustainable high skill high wage economy that underpins economic growth and drives social mobility.”