Suffolk New College is to invest almost £2million in new facilities for subjects including health, care and sciences at its Ipswich campus.

News of the investment, which will take place by 2022-23, follows the announcement that the college is to receive a share of an £83million government pot to increase capacity for post-16 education.

Around £1.15m will come from the Post-16 Capacity Fund for 2021 to 2022, while the remaining £642,504 will be paid from college funds.

The college is the only one in Suffolk to be included in the 39 sixth forms and colleges benefiting from the fund.

Viv Gillespie, principal of the college, said: “This project represents another major step forward for us.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to provide specialist facilities primarily in health, care and science areas to support young people living in Ipswich and beyond.

“We are currently in discussions with the Department for Education to work out a timeline for this project.

“But we feel very privileged to be the only college in the local region to benefit from this Post 16 Capacity fund.

“I’d like to thank the team at the college who were involved in putting the project together. The project will also be supported by college funding.

“This announcement will enable us to help positively re-shape the educational landscape in this region as we continue to offer an exceptional student experience to the lives of all those who choose to study with us.”

The latest financial boost for the college comes on the back of significant investment in a new £2.4m Tech Campus, which set to train the next generation of IT and digital superstars.

New students are starting this month at the Tech Campus, which will be officially launched in the early part of 2022.

The three-storey facility in Rope Walk will be a hub for Information Technology (IT) course subjects like Esports, Games Design and IT. A new T-level course in digital production, design and development will also be taught in the building from 2022.