Stunning £1m T Level facilities open at HSDC South Downs

Stunning new facilities will set HSDC T Level students on the path towards their futures by providing realistic environments to learn in.

A revamped set of classrooms has been unveiled ready for the start of the new year so that Health & Nursing, Medical & Healthcare Science and Laboratory Science T Level students can receive top-quality teaching, as well as those studying Pre-T Level Diplomas in Applied Science and Health & Social Care.

Over £1million has been invested in the development, which features a hospital ward, three laboratory rooms, an IT room and a mocked-up apartment for practising home visits.

These new facilities will help students to focus on the real-world applications of their courses, with more than 70 students from three T Level courses set to benefit.

Emily Pease, Programme Leader for Health and Science, said: “These T Levels have a real focus on vocational skills that students are actually using and being assessed on. I think our facilities will give the students a real insight into what it’s like working in the healthcare field.”

Emily and fellow lecturer Helen Gittins both worked as nurses before turning to teaching, so they know what is needed for success in real healthcare careers.

Employers including University of Portsmouth, Solent NHS Trust, Colten Care and Portsmouth Water will be partnering with HSDC to offer work placements for T Level students to gain key industry skills.

Emily added: “We’re not just delivering things from a book, we can really bring it to life. One of the things we’re doing is working with our local NHS Trusts to train students to fill skills gaps locally. This T Level gives the best possible experience to show students what nursing in the NHS is like. It more than prepares them for their next steps.”

Work was carried out over the summer by Peter Marsh Consulting and Willmott Dixon to get the classrooms up and running ready for September, with the space being completely transformed while students were off-campus.

As well as the impressive new workrooms, the College has also utilised Department for Education funding from the Specialist Equipment Fund to purchase a variety of top-of-the-range equipment for students.

This includes the CAE Juno patient simulators, which offer a range of scenarios for students to monitor symptoms and conditions and decide what treatment the patient needs.

Seven T Level options are now available for those joining HSDC in September 2021, with these two-year qualifications offering a mixture of classroom learning and on-the-job placements with an industry employer.

HSDC was also recently successful in its bid for the Wave 3 T Level funding from the Department for Education, which will help the College to deliver the T Levels in Engineering, Legal, Finance and Business in revamped workshops and classrooms.

Deputy Principal Richard Barlow said: “HSDC is very proud to be once again leading the way on T Levels – the next generation of qualifications for future professionals in a wide range of vital industries.

“We have to date received over £4 million in government funding for capital investment and specialist equipment, supporting us to give our students world-class facilities in which to study and prepare for their futures.”

Visit HSDC’S  T Levels page to learn more about this exciting new qualification.