Student excitement as £46m campus officially opens

Claudia McLaughlin-Hunt, who studies performing arts, says the new campus on Union Street in Coleraine is amazing

Students have expressed their excitement as a new £46m college campus in Coleraine was officially opened by Economy Minister Conor Murphy.

The Northern Regional College's new Causeway Campus in Union Street is part of a multi-million pound investment in the area.

Funding of almost £100m will also see the construction of a new campus in Ballymena, which is expected to open next year.

The state-of-the-art facility in Coleraine will cater for more than 1,000 students and house 150 staff.

Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald and Economy Minister Conor Murphy at the opening of the new campus on Wednesday

Speaking at the official opening on Wednesday, Economy Minister Conor Murphy said the new campus had already become an important landmark in Coleraine.

"Integrated with its neighbouring community, and designed with students and industry partners in mind, the facility provides a comfortable and vibrant place to learn and innovate," he said.

“It makes use of the latest technologies and is designed to be agile, in response to the emerging needs of innovative businesses now, and in the future.

“So, this is an important day, not only for our colleagues here at northern regional college but also for the local community, for the further education sector and for our economy.”

There is a wide range of education and training spaces at the new campus, ranging from IT suites to hair and beauty salons, as well as a fully-equipped television studio for media students.

The former St Patrick’s Church, which was built in 1881 and is a listed building, has been transformed into a performance space, including a music and recording studio and dressing rooms.

There is a wide range of education and training spaces at the new campus on Union Street

'New opportunities for us students'

Claudia McLaughlin-Hunt is studying performing arts and said she loves the new campus.

"I think the new campus is amazing and is going to lead to so many new opportunities for us students," she said.

"It's great the performing arts building is in its own space, which is amazing, and we can do our own performances in there."

Hospitality and tourism student Zuzanna Gestwicka says she likes how modern the new campus looks

The Northern Regional College said the new campus provided “an exciting and innovative new space for working and learning".

It said that industry-leading equipment and facilities had been incorporated to support and enhance curriculum delivery, as well as staff and student experience.

Zuzanna Gestwicka is studying hospitality and tourism at the campus.

"I really like the new campus because it's something that we haven't seen before," she said.

"It's quite modern, more modern than the other places and I'm looking forward to making the most of my time here and all the opportunities that are on offer."

Causeway campus principal Mel Higgins says student numbers are up

Campus principal Mel Higgins has said its new and improved facilities have allowed it to expand the curriculum.

New courses include hospitality & tourism management and cloud computing with cyber security.

There are currently 1,300 students enrolled in subjects ranging from further education, higher education to apprenticeships.

Mr Higgins said the number of full-time students was up by 15% for the 2024/25 academic year.