£1.8m boost for college campus transformation

The renovated Barnsley College building was formally opened in September 2025

A college in South Yorkshire has secured a £1.8m funding boost so the next phase of its redevelopment can be carried out.

The money from the Office for Students - the regulator for Higher Education in England - will be used to transform two floors of Barnsley College's Church Street University Centre campus.

The renovated art-deco building opened in September after work was completed on two levels of the site which houses the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT).

David Akeroyd, Barnsley College's principal, said the latest investment "strengthens our commitment to expanding opportunities for local people to gain the skills they need for rewarding and future-focused careers".

The college was formally opened following the completion of floors one and two, where the SYIoT, a partnership of employers and education providers, is based.

This next phase of work would see the ground floor and level three being completed to create a modern, flexible and fully dedicated higher education centre, a spokesperson said.

Some areas of those floors were already completed, but the additional funding would pay for technology-enabled classrooms, independent study spaces, collaborative work areas and improved accessibility, they explained.

The spokesperson said the work, expected to be completed by April next year, would help the college deliver programmes in sectors where there was a skills shortage.

Those included clean energy industries within construction, engineering and manufacturing, business and financial services, health and social care, digital and technology, creative industries and early years leadership, they said.

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