Deal Could Drive Increased Demand In Salford Quays Office Market

MediaCity in Salford has been confirmed as the new home for the University Technical College (UTC).

The new college is to be funded by the Department for Education and sponsored by The Aldridge Foundation. The University of Salford, Salford City College and The Lowry, are also involved.

The new specialist institution is to open in 2014 in and focus on the creative and digital industries.

Stephen Wild, managing director of MediaCity, said: "As education, training and development continue to be debated by businesses and political figures, it is vital MediaCityUK has a learning hub at the core of its creative environment.

"Bringing together talent and academia creates a whole host of benefits and opportunities, including knowledge partnership sharing and ultimately job creation.

"We are proud to have such a diverse and rich range of educational providers located here and working with our creative and media businesses (currently around 120) to create and exploit new opportunities for all – and we warmly welcome the UTC to our community."

Expert Opinion

This is great news for the North West and another major step forward in helping Salford Quays establish itself as a hub for the media and creative industries. <br/> <br/>“As this reputation grows nationally and also internationally, it is likely that we will see more and more companies of different sizes moving into MediaCity and the surrounding areas. <br/> <br/>“I expect, for example, that many organisations will be attracted to other popular office destinations such as Exchange Quay, which recently announced a £10m refurbishment programme.” <br/> <br/> Roy Beckett - Partner