Latest People: Penny Mourdant visits Newhaven Growth Quarter project & Access Student Awards

Roxanne Haid (Basepoint); Penny Shimmin (Sussex Community Development Association); Councillor Rob Blackman (Leader of Lewes District Council); Penny Mordaunt MP; Melanie Hunt (Principal & Chief Executive, Sussex Downs College)

Thumbs up for Newhaven Growth Quarter project

The innovative Newhaven Growth Quarter project, in partnership with Sussex Downs College, was given the thumbs up on a recent Ministerial visit. This exciting project received the seal of approval on Tuesday 5 August during a visit from Penny Mordaunt MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), and contestant on ITV’s Splash.

Earlier this year, Lewes District Council was awarded £1.9 million from the Coastal Communities Fund to develop the Newhaven Growth Quarter initiative, in partnership with Sussex Downs College, Basepoint, and Sussex Community Development Association.

Newhaven Growth Quarter will act as a catalyst for growing the emerging ‘clean, green and marine’ technologies sector locally, generating new training and employment opportunities for local residents. The construction work for the Newhaven Growth Quarter is expected to begin in early 2015.

+ The four Access pathways at the Eastbourne campus are: Health (for progression onto Nursing and Midwifery degrees), Teacher Education (for progression onto Primary Education degrees), Science (for progression onto a variety of science-related degrees) and Humanities (for progression onto a wide variety of degrees including Social Work, Geography, Sociology and English)

Sussex Downs College prepare access students for university

As exam results prepare to be released, Sussex Downs College is giving a nod to Access students, whose achievements over the past year were celebrated in a graduation-style ceremony last month.

Having finished the course, students successfully gained those all-important and extremely competitive university places. Midwifery places at Brighton University are highly sought after, with 1,000 students vying for under 40 places. At least one Access to HE student at Sussex Downs College has secured a Midwifery place at Brighton University each year, and 2014 is no exception. Access provides a route to university for those without the desired qualifications or those who achieved the qualifications years ago, but chose the workplace instead.

Anyone interested in an Access to HE course can attend an information session on 27 August. To book a place, email Access Administrator Yasmin Bromley: yasmin.bromley@sussexdowns.ac.uk