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Comart Site: Skills Training Centre Planned

7 January 2005

An education and skills training centre could be created on the site of Comart, the East Brighton College of Media Arts.

The city's School Organisation Committee took the decision last year to close Comart as a secondary school at the end of August 2005 because of falling pupil numbers. Council officers have been working closely with senior managers at City College Brighton & Hove for the past five months to appraise a number of options that could reap huge benefits for the city and that tie in closely with the college's expansion plans.

If successful, the Comart building could reopen in September 2005 for use as a further education centre and training centre for full and part-time students run by City College. In addition to offering media and performing arts there is an opportunity to develop a dedicated construction skills and craft training centre to meet the city's huge demand for a trained workforce that will support the £2.2billion worth of construction that is expected to take place in the city over the next 10 years.

Councillor Simon Burgess, deputy chair of the council's Policy & Resources committee, is on the council's Comart site project board. Councillor Burgess says:

"There is an incredible amount of complex work being done behind the scenes to make this project happen because it could bring huge benefits to the whole of Brighton & Hove. It promises to support the future regeneration of East Brighton. Further education on the site has always been the council's preferred option and we are committing a great deal of resource and effort into working co-operatively with City College to make this project succeed."

Martin Perry, chairman of the City College board of governors says:

"Expanding City College could start to address the concerns that local employers have about the skill shortages in this city. We are working hard with the council to try to forge a way forward on the Comart site.

We have now reached the stage where we need to consult our staff, students and the local community to make sure that we have maximum support for this project. We have discussed the project with the Sussex Learning and Skills Council. They fully support the work of City College and are keen to develop the adult skills agenda in East Brighton."

Ann Smith, principal at City College, says:

"It is expected that the expansion of City College to East Brighton would have a significant long-term impact on the city. City-wide more people would have the opportunity to learn and increase their knowledge and skills, but it would be an added bonus for local people who would find it easier to access learning closer to home."

Mark Whitby, executive principal of Comart, says:

"Retaining this site to use for further education in the city is the best way forward and I am delighted that this is what city councillors want. This is a wonderful area of the city in which to work and I can highly recommend it to further education teaching staff."

East Brighton has historically ranked poorly in the government's league tables for educational and skills levels. It is hoped that the Comart project will help raise these levels to the highest standards experienced across the City.

Both the council and City College want the local community to become actively involved in the consultation on the site's future and there will be wider consultation for everyone in the city.

It will be imperative that any detailed proposal for the Comart site stacks up financially and does not add further resource demands for the City Council. Once further detailed work has been completed, formal decisions on the future of the site will be made by the City Council's cross-party Policy & Resources Committee.

Further information:

Councillor Simon Burgess - 01273 294368
Martin Perry, City College - 07778 675118

Notes to editors:

City College Brighton & Hove is the city's largest further education provider and has seen significant growth in a relatively short period of time. Four years ago, the college had 11,000 students enrolled and a turnover of £11million. Last year the college had increased its enrolment to over 17,000 and recorded a turnover in excess of £17million. Some 70% of this income is secured through funding from the Sussex Learning & Skills Council.

Comart is located in the most educationally deprived area in Brighton & Hove. In terms of the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivations, four of the nine 'super output area' in East Brighton are amongst the top 5% most deprived output areas in the country by the education and skills domain.

The college recently submitted a three-year budget and funding forecast to the Sussex Learning & Skills Council which was based on continuing its business and student enrolment growth. In July 2004, the college was notified that they were to receive a marginal increase in their budget allocation to support their student growth ambitions. The college's senior managers are continuing to plan and prioritise the college provision to maximise alternative income streams. This includes securing additional funding support to develop a viable business case for using the Comart site.