A New Home for Higher Technical Education: Our Flagship Building Officially Opens

We’ve officially opened our new £14.3m building on the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus, a purpose-built home for higher-level technical education that brings together six education providers and a network of major employers under one roof.

We’ve designed the building around the courses employers across the region need most: esports, construction, digital, social media and computing. It’s our direct response to the skills gaps businesses across Greater Manchester have been raising for years, and a clear statement of intent about how we believe technical education should be delivered going forward.

A Building We’ve Designed Around Industry

Designed by jmarchitects and built by Tilbury Douglas, our two-storey building includes classrooms, computer suites, lecture theatres, breakout rooms and technical equipment, alongside a living wall and a wellbeing garden. It forms part of the University’s wider Campus Connectivity Plan and the Crescent Salford masterplan, delivered with Salford City Council and English Cities Fund.

Our building is a shared hub for six education partners: the University of Salford, Wigan & Leigh College, Bury College, Tameside College, Trafford and Stockport College, and Ada, the National College for Digital Skills. Our strategic employer partners the BBC, Laing O’Rourke, Siemens and GCHQ work alongside us too, together with a wider network of engaged businesses, helping us shape courses, provide placements and support live student projects.

We’re one of 21 Institutes of Technology nationally, set up to offer a genuine alternative to the traditional university route by bringing higher education, further education and employers together to design courses around what industry actually needs, mostly at Level 4 and 5.

Backed by Real Numbers

We’re not starting from scratch. More than 2,200 students have already begun programmes with us, ranging from one-year HNCs through to full degree apprenticeships, proof that the demand for higher technical routes into work is already there.

Jo Purves, Pro Vice-Chancellor Partnerships and Global Engagement at the University of Salford, described the GMIoT as central to the University’s approach of uniting universities, colleges and employers around industry-led training, particularly across construction, engineering and digital technologies.

We know there are skills gaps that urgently need addressing, especially with Manchester as one of the fastest-growing hubs in Europe. Our new building gives us a stronger base to inspire the next generation of engineers, developers and media professionals.

What This Means for Students and Employers

For our students, the new building means better facilities, closer links to employers, and clearer routes from qualification into real jobs. For businesses across the region, it means a growing, work-ready talent pipeline in exactly the sectors where recruitment has been hardest: digital, construction, esports, social media and computing.

This opening marks our next chapter: a dedicated, purpose-built base from which we can scale delivery, deepen employer engagement, and give students across Greater Manchester a genuine, employer-shaped alternative to the traditional university path.