Tuesday 11^th October marked the grand opening ceremony of the new, state-of-the art Performing and Production Digital Arts Facility at North Kent College’s Dartford campus.

Located at Oakfield Lane, the two-storey building contains 2,836 square meters of floorspace, equipping students with a performance venue, dance studios, digital design classrooms and workshops to enhance their studies.

Zoe Gordon, Business Engagement and Communications Manager at South East Local Enterprise Partnership, assures that the facility will boost the local economy by tackling one of the main concerns businesses in Kent now have: a skills shortage.

She added: “In Thurrock, there’s High House Production Park, which makes all the sets and costumes for the Royal Opera House. By opening a new digital arts facility at the college, we are trying to make sure we have people who have those skills. Students can now say ‘I’ve worked with that technology before’”.

The construction of the facility, costing £14m, was the largest value project in the government’s Getting Building Fund programme, which financed £12.3m of the total cost. The funding was approved and overseen by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), which was set up by the government in 2011 to secure investment into the Southeast of England.

The digital arts facility will not only strengthen local businesses, but it will also better prepare creative students at the college for the world of work. According to Gordon, with technology that is second to none, the facility will act as “a representation for the facilities students will have in the workplace”, tackling the “disconnect between what students have in schools and what they will have at work”.

Zoe Malomo, a Digital Journalism student at North Kent College expressed that it makes her happy to see the school putting more effort into enhancing the development of creative students. She believes the improved facilities available in the new building will “give more opportunities to build as a creative”.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by David Gleed, Chief Executive of North Kent College, Roger Hugh, Leader of Kent County Council, and Dehenna David MP, Minister for Levelling Up, who had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the facility.