As part of Exeter College celebrating 50 years as the UK’s first-ever tertiary college, we’re looking back on some key events which helped us to become the Ofsted Outstanding education provider we are today. 

In the early 2000s, we committed to our ambitious expansion programme, ensuring that our students had the best opportunities and facilities available. Nearly two decades later we continue to grow, with our new Digital and Data Centre to open early in 2021. 

Then… Planning Approved for Centre for Creative Industries (April 2004)

In 2004 we were given the green light to build our Centre for Creative Industries (CCI), establishing an inspiring learning environment for our visual and performing arts students.  

Exeter College worked with the council and city residents to produce plans for a state-of-the-art three-story education centre adjacent to Exeter’s cultural quarter to act as a hub for our creatively gifted students. 

Consisting of a 160-seat theatre, art and design studios and exhibition space, the CCI encompasses industry standard facilities and today forms an integral part of Exeter’s academic infrastructure.  

Richard Atkins CBE, our Principal at the time, said, “We are trying to work in partnership with other schools to invest significantly in educational buildings in Exeter. 

“This Centre is a very important part of our plans. The arts are very popular with young people, and we want to offer them good facilities.”  

Since completion, the Centre of Creative Industries has helped thousands of the south west’s students on their education journey and remains at the cutting edge of creative education in the country.

And Now…  Construction Continues on Digital and Data Centre

Sixteen years later and Exeter College continues to invest in the education offering in Exeter, with construction currently underway on a new Digital and Data Centre. To be completed in early 2021, the centre will form a part of a wider South West Institute of Technology (SWIOT) plan to revolutionise digital, engineering and manufacturing technology education in the south west. 

The £10.3million building, based at our Hele Road campus, will be a modern learning environment complete with state-of-the-art digital learning laboratories. This will provide students with quality higher level technical training and prepare them for work or further study in the digital sector.  

The Digital and Data Centre will be at the heart of Exeter College’s digital education, providing new opportunities to learn about data analytics, cybersecurity and software development.  

Exeter College is celebrating 50 years since being named as the UK’s first tertiary college. Although our roots date back to the 1800s, our status as a tertiary college marked a revolution in further education and 2020 marks our 50 years of excellence since that landmark. If you have a memory of Exeter College through the years that you’d like to share, contact marketing@exe-coll.ac.uk or get involved on social media using #ExeColl50