Elutec College of Design and Engineering finds new home at Londoneast-uk

London – April 27, 2015: Londoneast-uk Business and Technical Park is to be the new home of Elutec College of Design and Engineering.

The East London University Technical College will leave its current site in Rainham at the end of the summer term and will move into temporary accommodation at Londoneast-uk in Dagenham, which is owned and operated by SOG Group.

The temporary accommodation will cater for around 450 students and be in place for 12 months while a multi-million-pound purpose-built campus is created at the Londoneast-uk location that will ultimately house more than 600 students by 2017.

Elutec’s Principal Ruth Umerah said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we have reached an agreement with SOG Group to not only purchase land at Londoneast-uk for our new permanent college campus, but that SOG is also able to accommodate us in existing buildings on the site for the next academic year while our new facility is being built.

“It has been a challenging time trying to find a new home for our college which specialises in engineering and design. This exciting arrangement with SOG means our students will be studying and working in the heart of a business and technology park which is a perfect setting for the academic subjects we offer.

“The Elutec team has been working tirelessly to find a suitable home after our previous plans fell through, and at Londoneast-uk we have the perfect solution. – and we will also be able to watch as our permanent campus is built.”

John Lewis, Managing Director of SOG Group, said: “Elutec is a fantastic college with academic subjects which are a perfect fit for Londoneast-uk. I’m sure the college and students will benefit hugely from working in a live business and technology environment where they will have the opportunity to build relationships with specialist technical firms. Our team are now working flat out to adapt buildings including existing workshops and labs.”

SOG’s design team and technicians have already started a re-furbish programme transforming existing buildings into 22 classrooms, engineering workshops, scientific laboratories, Sixth Form Study spaces, recreational area, staff room, student dining room, kitchen and toilets. The temporary college will be ready for the start of the new term on September 1, 2015.

Meanwhile architects are about to embark on a public consultation as part of the planning process for the new-build which is scheduled to be constructed by developers Kier. It is hoped that construction work will commence in July with the new campus opening in September 2016.

The permanent campus will have classrooms, engineering workshops, science laboratories, sports hall, exam hall, a Pod lecture space with a main reception and forum for exhibiting students’ work. There will also be students’ common rooms, dining areas, staff room, administration offices and toilets.

About Elutec
Elutec which was launched last year is one of a new breed of school in the UK called a University Technical College (UTC) focused on delivering high quality technical education alongside more traditional academic subjects. Its motto is ‘Engineering. Education. Employment’ and its aim is to inspire young people in East London and Essex to become the next generation of talented engineers and designers through a really positive education experience which equips them with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities they need to have a successful career in industry.

Elutec’s curriculum and learning techniques are unique, allowing students to combine theory with practical activities: putting learning into practice. Students benefit from a wide range of extension activities, allowing them exceptional opportunities to pursue many different interests outside the main curriculum.

About Londoneast-uk
Londoneast-uk Business and Technical Park is situated in Dagenham, east London, and is located in state-of-the-art scientific buildings and land which was once a major manufacturing plant of global pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

Now under the ownership of SOG Group – owner and operator of the award-winning Heath Business and Technical Park in Cheshire –highly specialised research & development and manufacturing buildings, which would cost tens of millions of pounds to replicate in today’s market, have been rebranded under the banner of Londoneast-uk and are being transformed into a business and technical park to service London and the Home Counties. Londoneast-uk operates as a sister park to The Heath in Runcorn which is regarded as one of the UK’s leading independently-owned technology parks. For more information visit: www.londoneast-uk.com

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
24th April 2015