South West College’s Erne Campus has received further international acclaim winning both Public Sector Project and UK Project of the year prizes at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors awards in London recently.

The campus had previously received the regional title for Northern Ireland earlier in the year.

The awards recognise the most outstanding building projects from across the United Kingdom and particularly those buildings which demonstrate a significant positive impact on the communities they serve. The Erne Campus was nominated for the RICS awards by Hamilton Architects and was chosen on the basis of its impressive sustainability credentials.

Celebrating the awards announced, Celine McCartan, principal and Chief Executive of South West College added: “This award by the RICS is something that could have only have been imagined when the plans for this campus building were developed.

“The commitment, dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the planning, design and construction of the Erne Campus is reflected in these awards, as is the vision of the Department for the Economy who have invested not only in a world-class building but in the futures of thousands of students in our region. I want to thank most sincerely everyone involved.’

“The Erne Campus is a tremendous asset for Enniskillen and the wider region and as we continue to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic we want to share this building with our community. I am delighted to announce that the campus team will host a series of guided tours, beginning on Friday, November 11.

“Tours will run on a monthly basis for the remainder of the 2022/2023 academic year and these are open to all. We want the public to see for themselves why this building is so special and why now is the perfect time to consider enrolling in one of our full or part-time courses.”

Keep students

Explaining one part of judges feedback, Estates and Sustainability Manager Eimear Grugan said: “A large part of the RICS award was the community engagement and the whole fact of being able to keep the students here, where in the past they’d go to Belfast or elsewhere. There is a pride in the fact we have this FE college here.”

Students have a great pride in the awards and other acclaim around the college such as the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

Student Charlotte McGuigan said: “I’ve seen the sustainability conferences and the fact so many people are interested in it [the Erne campus], it has intrigued me to learn more about sustainability and how high tech it is.

“I feel I am more proud to say I go to the the College especially with how it is, and the community.”