South Leicestershire College
Encyclopedia
South Leicestershire College, formerly Wigston College, is a general college of further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...

, which opened in 1970. Situated on the southern outskirts of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, it draws learners from across Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

, but particularly from South of the county. The college operates within a budget of £15 million.

Location

The College operates predominantly out of four campuses. The main campus is a new multi-million pound campus in South Wigston
South Wigston
South Wigston is a suburb of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire.-Geography and administration:...

.

South Wigston

SLC's South Wigston Campus first opened its doors to learners in September 2010. The South Wigston Campus features state-of-the-art facilities and is situated next to Blaby Road Park, South Wigston
South Wigston
South Wigston is a suburb of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire.-Geography and administration:...

. The South Wigston Campus features many classrooms and learning spaces but also a sauna, steam room and therapies suites as well as a fully fitted boxing ring, The Weigh In, which was launched in September 2010 by Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...

. This new campus also features a gym, with equipment supplied by the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...

, a Café, a vast Library, an eating area named 'The Eating Place' and an area for learners in their free-time, named 'The Lounge'.

The South Wigston Campus features many of the most modern environmentally friendly technologies around. The installation of photovoltaic cells and thermal solar panels enables the college to generate hot water and electricity from the sun, whilst the installation of a biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....

 boiler will significantly reduce the building's carbon footprint. It will also capture rainwater, which will be recycled throughout the building.

South Leicestershire College's South Wigston Campus has been a major catalyst for the regeneration of South Wigston
South Wigston
South Wigston is a suburb of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire.-Geography and administration:...

. The surrounding area has noticed favourable improvements, not least the opening of new businesses and current businesses witnessing an unprecedented increase in trade.

King Power Stadium

South Leicestershire College now operates its Business arm, Engage, from Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

's King Power Stadium. Engage predominantly offers training solutions to businesses as well as Apprenticeships. Engage's King Power Stadium Campus also features a recruitment service aimed at finding employment for young people seeking Apprenticeships. In 2009, South Leicestershire College was accredited with TQS (Training Quality Standard) for its work with Employers.

Belgrave Campus

In 2008, the College launched its Belgrave Campus (Media Centre), located on Ross Walk. This state-of-the-art centre hosts many of the College's media courses as well as studios for ITV Central and EAVA FM. It features a full-fitted TV studio, radio station and production suites.

City Campus

South Leicestershire College's business arm, Engage, runs many of its specialist Engineering courses from its City Campus, located on Freeman's Common, Leicester.

Other locations

The college also has a number of specialist and dedicated off-site venues, these included links with many other training venues, including; The Sharma Centre, The Peepul Centre, Soar Valley Music Centre, Leicester Islamic Academy, Studio 79 and many more.

The college has a wide and varied curriculum although it is particularly strong in the following subject areas: Accounting, Business Studies, Complementary Therapies, Computing, Construction, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Hair and Beauty, Health & Social Care, Humanities, Management and Professional programmes, Public Services, Retail, Skills for Life, Sport and Teacher Training.

Academy of Sport

The Academy of Sport was launched by South Leicestershire College to give opportunities to young people wanting to study and play professional sport at the same time. The College is partnered with some of the largest sporting clubs and players in the City and delivers several development centres with them. The Football Development Centre is ran with Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 and is led by head coach, Leicester City legend, Matt Elliott. The Rugby Development Centre is run by coaches from the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...

. The Boxing Development Centre is ran through Boxing legend Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...

 with its training sessions held in South Leicestershire College's Boxing gym, The Weigh In. The College also runs a Mixed Martial Arts Development Centre and a Basketball Development Centre ran by Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders
The Leicester Riders, officially known as the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for sponsorship reasons, is a British professional basketball team that play in the British Basketball League...

.

Learners who join the Academy of Sport train with the professional coaches and get to compete in professional competitions. Learners also received a free sport-specific kit package and free transport to training and playing venues.

External links

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