Whilst a record number of new students are expected for their first week at the city’s college next week, those returning for their second year of studies will find the college transformed after over £1million worth of refurbishments over the summer break.

The developments, which have been carried out across all areas of Exeter College, have come as a direct result of the college’s Learner Voice student feedback and include increasing learning resource centres, adding specialist IT suites and curriculum areas and refurbishing social spaces for the students who come from across the city and the heart of Devon.

“Our Learner Voice programme encourages students of all ages to have their say about their college and they are always so positive about how we listen to their views. It helps us to prioritise the improvements, knowing they will make a real difference to the student experience at college and ensures we keep up to date with curriculum and industry innovations. We’re one of the few colleges in the country who are still investing in student facilities given the difficult economic climate and students are already telling us how much they approve of the changes we’ve made.”

Shilan Keskin 17 studying A levels said “I really like the changes especially the larger resource centres, the bright vibrant colours and the new ATM machine at the Hele site. It means I can get everything I need on the campus.”
Shani Walker, 17 from Teign School was one of the tutor reps very closely involved in the Learner Voice programme throughout the year and added “It’s great that all of the changes we’ve asked for have happened so quickly. We were keen to have more IT in the resource centres since they’re so well used and I’m really looking forward to coming back to college next week.”
Victoria Fenton 17, from West Exe really liked the bright colours around the college saying they were uplifting and was really pleased that the college had put in an ATM for students and staff

As well as increasing the capacity of the learning resource centres – already winners of a prestigious national Beacon Award – to answer the growing demand for on-line and traditional resources to complement classroom and workshop study, the college has also created temperature controlled areas within the city centre Victoria House, Laurence and Ted Wragg buildings for business, sports, hospitality, hair, beauty and foundation studies students. Specialist curriculum areas have also been created such as a bespoke forensic science lab now included in the enhanced Baker Building on the Hele Road site.

Whilst the majority of the investment has been in curriculum and learning areas the college has also acted on student feedback about their social spaces improving recycling facilities, adding a much-needed ATM machine and enhancing the decoration across the college sites to provide safe and friendly spaces for students.

With the summer break over, the college’s building programme is now focusing on the creation of a brand new cutting edge sport and fitness centre due to open before Christmas complementing the high performance sports, leisure and tourism faculty, as well as the development of the Technology Centre being built on the outskirts of the city which will transform the engineering, automotive and aerospace training at the college, concentrating industry standard workshops and laboratories on one site and is due to open in Sept 2012.

“This extensive summer programme has followed the exciting building programme of the college over the last 5 – 7 years “concluded John Laramy “and the impact of this considerable investment is seen not only in the students’ results but also in their aspirations and ambition to reach the top – as recently evidenced by 9 of our students progressing to Oxford or Cambridge Universities this autumn. This puts Exeter College firmly on the map for students reaching these top destinations”.