Magee expansion: £11m teaching block opens at Derry campus

,

Magee expansion: £11m teaching block opens at Derry campus

Ulster University opens a new state-of-the-art teaching block at Magee this week marking an £11million investment in the campus.

Dr Malachy O'Neill, Provost of the Ulster University’s Magee campus outside the new £11m teaching facility.

Dr Malachy O’Neill, Provost of the Ulster University’s Magee campus outside the new £11m teaching facility.


The innovative development delivers the most modern and cutting-edge facilities available in teaching accommodation to students and provides a collaborative teaching approach at Magee.

The four-storey facility, which is attached to the existing library, covers a floor space of 4000 sq meters; including three lecture theatres, 20 teaching rooms, open plan student hubs and a café.

Its opening represents a major investment by the University in world-class teaching space, significantly enhancing the student experience at Magee and underpinning the University’s commitment to developing the campus.

The new teaching block will increase the capacity of the campus for additional students and features a 314 seat lecture theatre representing a significant increase on present facilities.

Professor Paddy Nixon, Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University said:

“The opening of this new £11million teaching block is yet another positive step forward in the realisation of our strategic vision for Magee and underlines the University’s commitment to expansion in the north-west

“As an inclusive and internationally focussed university, we want to offer students the most dynamic and high quality teaching environment possible – one that will confidently provide the foundations for rewarding careers for our graduates.

“The state-of-the art facility will ensure a collaborative teaching approach and interactive learning experience for all of our students. It is a major boost for our staff and current students and also paves the way for enhanced future capacity on the Magee campus in line with our broader expansion plans.”

Ulster University’s Magee campus offers a wide range of undergraduate courses spanning all four faculties in Life and Health Sciences, Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and the Ulster University Business School . The recently launched Doctoral College, which has a base in Magee, also enables the provision of student opportunity at the highest level in the city.

Dr Malachy Ó Néill, Provost of the University’s Magee campus, said:

“Students across all faculties and disciplines will benefit greatly from the new facilities – both academically in terms of the high quality teaching environment provided and also socially, with access to relaxed café spaces and student hubs encouraging an interactive experience.

“The new block also features the largest lecture theatre ever constructed on the campus – with capacity for over 300 students. The facility will also be a huge civic asset, offering a fantastic conference centre with incredible views of the city and we are looking forward to welcoming even more local and international visitors to the campus.

“Facilities such as these are vital to ensuring we have the best quality environment for teaching and research for our students whilst also serving the needs of the wider community and supporting economic growth in the region.”

/by

Local designers to showcase during London Fashion Week

, ,

Local designers to showcase during London Fashion Week.

Local Designers attending London Fashion Week

Local Designers attending London Fashion Week

Ten ‘up and coming’ local designers will get a unique opportunity to showcase their collections to an audience of global fashion experts and international press at an exclusive exhibitor event during London Fashion Week next month.

The ten local designers who have been selected to travel to London in mid-February – known as the Derry Design Collective – follows a special ‘pitching’ event held last week at the Fashion & Textile Design Centre on Shipquay Street.

A total of 15 designers put forward their ‘perfect pitch’ to judges – including John Paul Doherty of John Paul Couture and industry specialist Jenny Holloway, CEO of renowned Fashion Enter London (FEL).

Derry City and Strabane District Council, in partnership with the Fashion & Textile Design Centre and Fashion Enter London held the ‘pitching’ competition as part of the Designer Business Start Up Programme – which supports emerging designers and helps to take them commercially to market through a series of workshops led by industry experts.

The bespoke scheme – which is also sponsored by Invest NI – draws on the expertise of Jenny Holloway to disseminate ‘best practice’ – ensuring local designers are empowered and provided with essential skills training, knowledge and the tools to develop their businesses effectively and efficiently.

Helen Quigley, Chief Executive of the Inner City Trust, said that the opportunity being created for our local designers is the culmination of the partnership working that has taken place in the Fashion & Textile Design Centre over the last number of years. This work has combined significant support from the team at the Inner City Trust, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Invest NI and Fashion Enter, and represents a commitment in presenting our local talent in a global setting.

Danielle McNally, Business Officer with Derry City and Strabane District Council, said: “I am delighted that the ten winners will be able to avail of this incredible opportunity – and will benefit from the hands-on experience, technical training and professional mentoring from Fashion Enter London.

“Council is delighted to be working with the renowned Fashion Enter team on this fantastic initiative, providing unique opportunities for our emerging designers to work with leading industry experts to commercialise their design talents.

“We have a wealth of local design talent, and ultimately this programme will provide the tools and the opportunities required to support designers in making their fashion or textile business a reality.

“Indeed, this programme aims to give emerging local designers an invaluable profile boost by presenting them to an international audience during one of the most important weeks of the fashion calendar.”

Deirdre Williams, Business Development Manager with the Fashion and Textile Design Centre and Inner City Trust, added: “I would like to pay tribute to the strength and diversity of all the local designers who took part in the ‘pitching’ event.

“I was hugely impressed by the diversity and innovation of the local designers who are such creative and talented people representing both quality and variety in the fashion and textiles sector.

“It is clear from the outstanding talent displayed at the pitching sessions that our region – as in the past with our world famous shirt industry heritage – is continuing to produce young and emerging talent whose imagination and quality of design is key to a successful future in the global fashion industry.

“This will be a fantastic opportunity for the winning designers from the Derry & Strabane district to showcase their Autumn/Winter 2018 collections during London Fashion Week at the Fashion Enter premises in London.

“It will also provide opportunities for the ten local designers to engage with the UK fashion industry and build international connections.

“I am therefore delighted that they will avail of this unique opportunity to present their collections outside of local markets to an international audience.”

For further information on the Designer Business Start Up Programme visit http://www.derrystrabane.com/Designer-Start-Up-Programme

/by

Beacon Broadband is creating 12 jobs in Derry~Londonderry

, , ,

Beacon Broadband is creating 12 jobs in Derry~Londonderry.
A new wireless broadband provider based in the North West, Beacon Broadband is creating 12 jobs in Derry~Londonderry to help it increase its export sales and position itself for future growth in the Republic of Ireland market.

Beacon Broadband delivers high speed wireless broadband to homes and businesses.

Des Gartland, Invest Northern Ireland’s North West Regional Manager welcomed the expansion during a visit to the company’s premises: “Beacon Broadband was established in 2016 to exploit a gap in the wireless broadband market created as a result of the increased popularity in media streaming. These new jobs are great news for the local area and our support is ensuring the company has the resources in place to win new business in its target markets.”

“Helping small businesses and entrepreneurs to compete and grow in export markets is a priority for Invest NI. We are confident that this is only the beginning for Beacon Broadband and we look forward to building on our relationship with the company in the coming years. ”

Invest Northern Ireland has offered the company £48,000 towards the creation of the new jobs. Roles to be created include installers, sales support staff, an office manager and a technical engineer.

Managing Director of Beacon Broadband, Brian McCourt said: “Our company ethos is built on providing strong customer service backed by the provision of guaranteed service speeds and uptime. Using the latest technology, we offer speeds that rival fibre broadband in areas that have little or no broadband access. This is making us a very attractive proposition to many consumers across both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.”

Pictured (L-R) are Brian McCourt, Beacon Broadband, and Des Gartland, Invest NI

Pictured (L-R) are Brian McCourt, Beacon Broadband, and Des Gartland, Invest NI

/by