College makes case for land-based campus to become strategic asset

Derby College Group has been putting forward a case for its land-based campus to become a regional strategic asset for the East Midlands.

Recently, senior figures from across business, government and education descended on Broomfield Hall for an exclusive stakeholder and policy event exploring Derby College Group’s role in delivering the East Midlands’ 10-year Growth Plan.

The event was opened by Mandie Stravino OBE, chief executive of Derby College Group, who spoke about the impact it has across the region, and the significant part Broomfield Hall plays within that.

She was followed by Alex Payne, chief executive of Landex, the national membership body for land-based colleges, who set out the national picture for the sector.

Jon Collins, vice principal for Land-based at Derby College Group, made the case for Broomfield Hall to be recognised as a regional strategic asset and a regional priority.

Mandie said: “Derby College Group touches almost every part of this region’s economy and community, and Broomfield Hall is a significant part of that story.

“Our purpose has always been simple: to provide an excellent education that acts as a catalyst for success in work, life and society, strengthening the talent pipeline our employers need and delivering real social justice for the communities we serve.

“Many of the young people who come through our doors here didn’t choose the postcode, the deprivation or the family circumstances they were born into, but we are determined that their future should never be anchored to their past.

“Broomfield Hall gives them routes into land-based careers that genuinely change their lives, and it gives our region the skilled people it needs to grow.

“We couldn’t do any of this without the employers and stakeholders who are every bit as ambitious for our students as we are, and bringing so many of them together is exactly the kind of conversation we should be having about Broomfield Hall and the future of the land-based industry.”

In his speech, Mr Collins challenged guests to move beyond a narrow picture of land-based education as simply farming, horticulture or animal care.

He pointed to modern agriculture’s growing reliance on data, technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, environmental monitoring and precision agriculture, and argued that today’s agricultural professionals need digital skills alongside practical expertise.

He said: “Today’s land-based education is about some of the fastest-growing and most strategically important sectors in the economy.

“If today’s workers are to maximise productivity and improve environmental outcomes, they need specialist education, and specialist education needs specialist facilities and specialist teaching.

“Broomfield Hall is not simply responding to industry change, we are helping to shape it,” he added.

Mr Collins closed his address by asking stakeholders for a shared commitment to Broomfield Hall’s future, arguing that regional priority status would unlock capital investment in facilities, including a new animal unit, glasshouses and an agri tech building, and allow DCG to go further in preparing students for modern farming technology and green and digital skills.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands and leader of Derby City Council, said: “Seeing first-hand the work taking place at Broomfield Hall, and hearing the case for it to be treated as a regional priority, is a powerful reminder of what our region can achieve when education and industry work together.”

Scott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “There is a real need for innovation, and Broomfield Hall does this exceptionally well.

“It is essential that we nurture the specialist skills the land-based sector needs if it is to thrive and grow.”