South Leicestershire College
 | |
| Type | Public FE |
|---|---|
| Established | 1970 |
| Principal | Marion Plant OBE |
Administrative staff | 500+ |
| Students | 9,495 |
| Address |
Blaby Road, South Wigston, Leicestershire. LE18 4PH, Leicester, Leics., England 52°34′58″N 1°07′00″W / 52.5828°N 1.1168°WCoordinates: 52°34′58″N 1°07′00″W / 52.5828°N 1.1168°W |
| Website | www.slcollege.ac.uk |
South Leicestershire College, formerly Wigston College, is a general college of further education, which opened in 1970. Situated on the southern outskirts of Leicester, it draws students from across Leicestershire, but particularly from the south of the county. The college operates within a budget of £15 million.
Location
The College operates predominantly out of four campuses. The main campus is a new multi-million pound campus in South Wigston.
South Wigston
SLC's South Wigston Campus first opened its doors to learners in September 2010. The South Wigston Campus features state-of-the-art facilities and is situated next to Blaby Road Park, South Wigston. The South Wigston Campus features many classrooms and learning spaces but also a sauna, steam room and therapies suites as well as a fully fitted boxing ring, The Weigh In, which was launched in September 2010 by Barry McGuigan. This new campus also features a gym, with equipment supplied by the Leicester Tigers, a Café, a vast Library, an eating area named 'The Eating Place' and an area for learners in their free-time, named 'The Lounge'.
The South Wigston Campus features many of the most modern environmentally friendly technologies around. The installation of photovoltaic cells and thermal solar panels enables the college to generate hot water and electricity from the sun, whilst the installation of a biomass boiler will significantly reduce the building's carbon footprint. It will also capture rainwater, which will be recycled throughout the building.
South Leicestershire College's South Wigston Campus has been a major catalyst for the regeneration of South Wigston. The surrounding area has noticed favourable improvements, not least the opening of new businesses and current businesses witnessing an unprecedented increase in trade.
King Power Stadium
South Leicestershire College now operates its Business arm, Engage, from Leicester City F.C.'s King Power Stadium. Engage predominantly offers training solutions to businesses as well as Apprenticeships. Engage's King Power Stadium Campus also features a recruitment service aimed at finding employment for young people seeking Apprenticeships. In 2009, South Leicestershire College was accredited with TQS (Training Quality Standard) for its work with Employers.
Belgrave Campus
In 2008, the College launched its Belgrave Campus (Media Centre), located on Ross Walk. This state-of-the-art centre hosts many of the College's media courses as well as studios for ITV Central and EAVA FM. It features a full-fitted TV studio, radio station and production suites.
City Campus
South Leicestershire College's business arm, Engage, runs many of its specialist Engineering courses from its City Campus, located on Freeman's Common, Leicester.
Other locations
The college also has a number of specialist and dedicated off-site venues, these included links with many other training venues, including; The Sharma Centre, The Peepul Centre, Soar Valley Music Centre, Leicester Islamic Academy, Studio 79 and many more.
The college has a wide and varied curriculum although it is particularly strong in the following subject areas: Accounting, Business Studies, Complementary Therapies, Computing, Construction, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Hair and Beauty, Health & Social Care, Humanities, Management and Professional programmes, Public Services, Retail, Skills for Life, Sport and Teacher Training.
Academy of Sport
The Academy of Sport was launched by South Leicestershire College to give opportunities to young people wanting to study and play professional sport at the same time. The College is partnered with some of the largest sporting clubs and players in the City and delivers several development centres with them. The Football Development Centre is run with Leicester City F.C. and is led by head coach, Leicester City legend, Matt Elliott. The Rugby Development Centre is run by coaches from the Leicester Tigers. The Boxing Development Centre is run through Boxing legend Barry McGuigan with its training sessions held in South Leicestershire College's Boxing gym, The Weigh In. The College also runs a Mixed Martial Arts Development Centre and a Basketball Development Centre ran by Leicester Riders.
Learners who join the Academy of Sport train with the professional coaches and get to compete in professional competitions. Learners also received a free sport-specific kit package and free transport to training and playing venues.