EASTLEIGH College’s innovative buildings, which formed part of its £12 million transformational development, has won the ‘Innovation in Delivering Value’ Category at the Education Estates Awards.

It was also awarded Highly Commended in the ‘Pupil/Student Experience’ section.

The event, which has been running for several years, celebrates the excellence of the design, creation, maintenance and management of education buildings in the industry. The achievement of the innovative campus project was acknowledged by an audience of over 350 top industry professionals, highlighting the new exceptional learning environment for the students, which in turn will help better prepare them for a career in their chosen field.

The project formed part of the college’s regeneration scheme which secured funding from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (Solent LEP), as part of the Government’s Local Growth Deal investing in training and skills.

The investment saw the launch of a new training restaurant and kitchen, modern and elegant training salons for hairdressing, beauty and media make-up, extensive facilities for Art, Design and Media and the Advanced Technology Centre, which was the final phase of the project and was completed last year.

Jan Edrich, chief executive and principal at Eastleigh College, said: “It has been amazing to watch the site develop from paper plans to finished buildings. They look and feel exciting, and provide an excellent environment in which the students can learn the high level technical skills required for employment in their industry.”