Major milestone for Keighley’s new industrial heartland

Written by James Beaumont on March 13, 2025. Posted in Environment, News

Building work on Keighley College’s brand-new manufacturing and engineering hub has been completed.

The project is part of the wider, £12 million creation of Providence Park, a new industrial site being built on the former Universal Mills plot on the corner of Dalton Lane and Bradford Road.

Providence Park is being part-funded, to the tune of £6.5 million, through the Government’s Keighley Towns Fund – with £3 million of that used to produce Keighley College Engineering Hub.

The hub has been designed to take the training of local apprentices and students to the next level, so it can meet the rapidly evolving skills needs of local employers.

The college will now push ahead with kitting out the building with cutting-edge equipment – including a future technologies lab and engineering workshop – ahead of welcoming the first students in September.

Keighley College Principal Kevin O’Hare said: “This is a major milestone for the college, Providence Park and Keighley – and could be a real game-changer for our district and its economy.

“We are privileged to be based in an industrial heartland that continues to build on its proud history, with many of our employers forging ahead into exciting new areas of manufacturing, engineering and technology, including robotics.

“For those businesses to flourish, though, they need a steady stream of apprentices and students who have industry experience and the up-to-date skills needed to join and strengthen their workforce.

“That’s exactly what the engineering hub has been created to help us deliver – and we’ll be strengthening our already deep bonds with the district’s businesses as we develop our offering there, and work together on apprenticeships along with industry placements for our vocational students.

“We can’t wait to show employers, and our learners, around these cutting-edge new facilities which we are delighted to be opening this year, as the college celebrates its 200th anniversary.”

Bradford Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw said: “Alongside the new state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering hub, Providence Place is also home to five new buildings housing 23 industrial units. We expect about 100 jobs will be created in total across the whole site.

“Keighley has always had a proud manufacturing and engineering heritage. Its Engineering Hub will enable local people to learn highly-specialised skills and create employment opportunities for the future.”

Keighley Towns Fund Chair, Tim Rogers added: “The creation of the Engineering Hub, in partnership with Keighley College, represents an incredible skills and training opportunity for the town.

“We are proud of what is being achieved at Providence Park, which is a really exciting commercial development for Keighley, and the opportunities it will create for generations to come.”

The hub will be able to train up to 120 students or apprentices, plus staff, at any one time. The building’s lower floor will include a fully kitted-out engineering workshop, complete with lathes and milling machines.

The upper level, meanwhile, will have a future technologies lab fitted out with a laser cutter, printing machines and testing equipment, along with two IT rooms and a teaching space.

Luminate Education Group and Surplus to Purpose: A Partnership Fighting Food Waste and Supporting Healthy Eating

Written by James Beaumont on February 13, 2025. Posted in Environment, News, Partnerships

For several years, Luminate Education Group has partnered with Surplus to Purpose as one of our key food suppliers. This collaboration has brought significant benefits to the Group – not only in providing food for our canteens but also in positively impacting the environment by reducing food waste and supporting our sustainability pledge.

As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and student wellbeing, in September 2024, we introduced the Free Fruit and Veg for All campaign. This initiative ensures that all students and staff across the Luminate Education Group have access to free fruits and vegetables. By removing the cost barrier, we are making it easier than ever for our community to enjoy nutritious food options.

There is overwhelming evidence supporting the benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, from improving general health and cognitive function to enhancing learning and development. Encouraging healthy eating habits helps reinforce positive behaviour change, making nutritious food choices the norm rather than the exception.

The Work of Surplus to Purpose

Surplus to Purpose is an innovative social enterprise tackling the critical issue of food waste. Founded to create a more sustainable and socially responsible approach to food, they transform surplus food destined for disposal into valuable resources for communities, events, and schools across the UK.

Surplus to Purpose intercepts surplus food at its Purpose warehouse, which comes from all over the world. Every day, pallets of perfectly edible food that would otherwise go to waste are sorted. Globally, 6,000 calories per person per day are produced – yet half of that food never reaches a plate. Much of it is fed to animals, and the rest is simply discarded. Their mission is to change that.

All food is meticulously inspected for quality, ensuring only the best produce reaches those who need it. The process includes checking for spoilage, mould, and broken packaging before distributing the food to colleges, community groups, and individuals. Thanks to this partnership, students and staff at Luminate Education Group can enjoy fresh, healthy food every day.

A Shared Commitment to Sustainability

This initiative is about more than just providing free food – it’s about creating a sustainable, waste-conscious culture that prioritises both people and the planet. By working with Surplus to Purpose, Luminate Education Group is actively reducing food waste while promoting healthy eating habits within our learning community.

We’re incredibly proud of this partnership and the positive change it continues to bring. Whether you’re a student, staff member, or simply someone interested in sustainability, we invite you to support and spread awareness about the impact of food waste reduction and accessible nutrition.

Luminate Education Group marks major milestone as Mabgate Campus development reaches topping out stage

Written by James Beaumont on March 4, 2025. Posted in Environment, News

Luminate Education Group is celebrating a key milestone in the transformation of Mabgate Campus, as the £27 million development reaches its topping out stage.

Delivered in partnership with GMI Construction Group, the project is turning a once-derelict site into a flagship centre for adult education in the heart of Leeds. The new development will provide 70,000 sq.ft of high-quality, sustainable learning space and plays a vital role in Luminate’s mission to widen access to education, support progression, and regenerate local communities.

Mabgate Campus is already home to Leeds City College’s RE workshop and studios for Leeds Conservatoire. This next phase of development includes a five-storey campus for University Centre Leeds, a purpose-built space for Leeds City College’s adult learners, and a central atrium cafeteria linking new and existing facilities. The design prioritises sustainability, with low-carbon heating systems and energy-efficient features built in throughout.

The project also includes the sensitive restoration of Studio 24 – a much-loved former arts venue, preserving its character while integrating it into the campus’s future as a creative and inclusive learning environment.

David Warren, Group Vice Principal of Development at Luminate Education Group, said:
“This milestone marks another step forward in our commitment to delivering high-quality learning environments. The new facilities will replace outdated buildings, providing cutting-edge spaces for University Centre Leeds and Leeds City College adult students. Thanks to funding from the Department for Education’s capital transformation programme, we are ensuring that more students and adult learners can access the education and training they need. It’s fantastic to see the project progressing so well.”

GMI Construction, a Leeds-headquartered company, began work on the site in 2023.

Ed Weston, Commercial Director for Yorkshire at GMI Construction, added:
“Reaching the topping out stage at Mabgate is a key milestone in this landmark development. As a Leeds-based company, we are proud to contribute to the regeneration of this area while enhancing the facilities in this space. This investment will create outstanding opportunities for students and deliver lasting benefits to the region.”

The project forms a key part of Luminate Education Group’s wider strategy to invest in sustainable, inclusive, and high-quality learning environments across the region.

Leeds Conservatoire students doing environmental recordings. Credit - Cat McEvoy

Conservatoire students are ‘going wild’ for sustainability

Written by Jim Jack on July 9, 2024. Posted in Environment, News, Partnerships, Teaching and Learning, Uncategorized

Leeds Conservatoire students have been recording the sounds of nature as part of a sustainability push by Yorkshire’s higher education (HE) institutions.

The Conservatoire initiative is featured in a new Yorkshire Universities (YU) report which describes an array of sustainability projects that are being undertaken by local HE providers.

The Good Practice Guide for Engaging Students with Sustainability through Service Learning also highlights how the regional HE sector’s collaboration efforts with external partners are helping students obtain real-world opportunities to use their skills to address local sustainability issues.

The guide is designed as a blueprint that can be used by other institutions wishing to drive student engagement with sustainability. It is the culmination of a 15-month, £20,000 pilot project funded by the UPP Foundation which included an audit of the extent to which the 12 YU member institutions embedded sustainability in their curricula.

Learning from the great outdoors

As part of the pilot, all 12 YU member institutions were given £1,000 to use towards boosting Sustainability Service Learning activity and providing experiential learning opportunities. Leeds Conservatoire enabled its students to carry out environmental field recordings and the feedback was very positive.

One said: “I really enjoyed exploring Leeds through a new lens and perspective, as well as having the opportunity to take field recordings through a variety of types of microphones which included zoom, shotgun, hydrophone and contact.

“I found exploring the way the natural world changed as we drew closer to the centre of the city especially interesting, and the discussions that it provoked were highly useful in creating a greater understanding of our relationship with nature.”

A further £3,000 was assigned as prize money to a Multi-University Challenge Day, organised in December 2023, which brought together 36 students – with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds – from across the 12 regional institutions.

The students were asked to form groups and develop ideas on how to engage more learners with sustainability – a topic that directly aligns with the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission Regional Climate Action Plan. The winners were then invited to give a presentation at the annual Student Sustainability Research Conference.

An inspirational pilot to engage more students

Monika Antal, Assistant Director at Yorkshire Universities, said: “YU is proud to have led this pilot and we hope this guide will inspire other institutions to learn from what works in our experiences across the region.

“The project demonstrated there is significant value for universities working in partnership to address sustainability challenges through Service Learning, which benefits communities as well as offering students valuable real-world opportunities and experiential learning.

“We also discovered that community partners benefit from a diverse range of student perspectives and small amounts of funding can help to engage a wider range of students who would otherwise not have got involved.”

Richard Brabner, Executive Chair at the UPP Foundation, added: “Embedding local sustainability projects within the curriculum is great news for the towns and cities universities are from, great news for students who learn vital skills for the workplace, and great news for universities as it improves their reputation. We were proud to fund this project and warmly welcome the report. We hope it inspires more student sustainability initiatives across the higher education sector.”

Chancellor visits Pudsey Sixth Form College construction

Written by James Beaumont on February 28, 2025. Posted in Environment, News, Partnerships

Rachel Reeves, member of Parliament for Leeds West and Pudsey and Chancellor of the Exchequer, recently toured the under-construction Pudsey Sixth Form College and met with prospective students.

The new sixth form college, expected to host around 700 learners, is set to open its doors to its first cohort of students in September this year. The new sixth form is being created due to the changing post-16 landscape, with many schools that have a sixth form provision increasingly facing challenges to continue providing a viable offer that meets the needs and expectations of young people as they progress.

Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “I was delighted to see the progress being made in developing this new sixth form in my constituency. Speaking to future Pudsey Sixth Form College students while on the visit, their positivity around being able to remain in the local area to attend sixth form was clear. Without the creation of this large new sixth form college, many prospective students would instead have to travel further afield for their sixth form education.

A key reason behind the creation of Pudsey Sixth Form College is to increase capacity and coherence in the local post-16 landscape. Once operational, Pudsey Sixth Form College will not only ensure that young people have additional learning opportunities locally but it will also release capacity in partner schools.

This is what encouraged Crawshaw Academy, Co-op Academy Priesthorpe and Leeds West Academy to approach Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College (members of Luminate Education Group) to form a partnership.

Phil Mark, Principal of Pudsey Sixth Form College, said: “It is exciting to think that in a few short months, Pudsey Sixth Form College will begin its role providing the young people of Pudsey and the surrounding area with educational opportunities leading to employment or further study. Drawing on links with Leeds City College and Leeds Sixth Form College, this new sixth form in Pudsey will be able to expertly provide both academic and technical courses for young people.”

Funding for the ambitious project has been sourced through a £12.7 million loan from the Department for Education, signalling the government’s commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure in areas like Pudsey. The development, which is being undertaken by Caddick Construction, represents a significant investment in the future of Pudsey’s young people.

Steve Ford, Regional Managing Director of Caddick Construction Yorkshire & North East, said: “We are pleased to be delivering this much needed sixth form college, and it was a pleasure to actually welcome prospective students and local figureheads to the site to see the progress we are making. This project is not just about the building; it’s about giving local people the educational resources to help them succeed, contributing to a thriving community. We’re grateful for Rachel Reeves’ interest and support, and we look forward to continuing our work to welcome new students to the project later this year.”

Sustainability award for Luminate Education Group

Written by Jim Jack on January 23, 2024. Posted in Environment, News, Uncategorized

Members of Luminate Education Group have had their sustainability credentials recognised through a Green Gown Award.

The group was part of a successful entry that showcased the collective impact of action by West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges’ (WYCC) seven members.

The bid outlined the scores of varied initiatives that each of WYCC’s partners have been undertaking to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the 17 global targets adopted by the United Nations to tackle poverty and protect the planet.

The members’ work over the past year has spanned all of the SDG categories which include Climate Action, Affordable and Green Energy and Responsible Consumption and Production as well as Reduced Inequalities and Quality Education.

Environmental action across the group

Some key examples included:

Leeds City College, Keighley College and Harrogate College taking part in Planet Earth Games – with Keighley, which produced an indoor greenhouse and a suit of armour welded from waste metal, being crowned the national winner
Running an array of sustainability-focused courses, with 86 including specific net zero or sustainability content, across multiple fields including digital, business, motor vehicle and travel, food and drink
Harrogate College embedding sustainable practice across all of its provision, while consolidating its position as a green skills leader
Leeds Sixth Form College’s staff and students leading litter picking sessions and community clean-ups, using the gathered rubbish to create a sculpture at Park Lane campus
Engineering students visiting DRAX power station to learn about the sustainable biomass it now uses as its primary fuel and the company’s research into carbon capture technologies

Inspiring first steps towards net zero

Luminate Education Group’s Deputy CEO, Bill Jones, said: “Lessening the impact of the climate emergency is one of our top priorities and something we can only effectively do through collaboration with our partners.

“There is a huge amount of work to be undertaken to make all of the changes we need to become, as we have pledged, net zero carbon by 2035. So it has been inspiring to see the commitment, passion and professionalism of our staff and students – along with those of our partner colleges – as they’ve thrown themselves behind this.

“We’ve made a great start and winning this Green Gown Award is a testament to that and will motivate us as we forge ahead with more sustainability improvements.”

The power of collaboration – and estate-wide improvements

Luminate Education Group Consultant, Jennifer Miccoli, added: “We did a huge amount of sustainability work as part of the WYCC bid, which was led by Shipley College. The collaboration with other colleges, and sharing of resources, was great and enabled us all to pick up some fantastic ideas.

“Our efforts included everything from small student-led community projects right through to reviewing our group-wide processes, particularly regarding our buildings, so we can target what will make the biggest difference in terms of our carbon footprint.”

In terms of the group’s buildings, a new advanced management system has been set up across each site to record and drive efficiencies in the use of energy, water, and heating. A range of multi-million pound infrastructure / rebuild schemes are also in the pipeline, including at Harrogate College and Leeds City College’s Mabgate campus, where the work will be completed to meet the BREEAM (Excellent) sustainability standard.

The installation of solar panels at Leeds’ Printworks campus meanwhile, due to be completed by this summer, is expected to save some 370,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions. Leeds Conservatoire is also, thanks to a £1.6m award from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, on course to slash its carbon footprint by upgrading its heating and cooling systems, windows and lighting.

Contact Luminate Education Group