Andy Burnham visits University of Salford’s new technical skills building

The new £14.3m centre will be home to the University’s higher-level technical skills courses, strengthening its wider commitment to maximising skills and employment opportunities for local people in Salford and Greater Manchester.

Courses on offer in the new GMIoT building include esports, construction, digital, social media and computing. As one of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the UK, the GMIoT was established in 2023 to provide Level 4 and 5 higher technical education routes which meet regional labour market needs.

The GMIoT is a collaborative partnership between the University of Salford, Wigan & Leigh College, Bury College, Tameside College, Trafford and Stockport College and Ada - the National College for Digital Skills. All education providers will use the building as a shared learning hub.

Four strategic employer partners – the BBC, Laing O’Rourke, Siemens and GCHQ – work with a wider network of engaged businesses to provide GMIoT students with work placements, apprenticeships and opportunities to support live projects.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “We are determined to give everyone in Greater Manchester a clear line of sight to good jobs across our city region. To do that, we need the physical infrastructure that will provide those high-quality technical education and training opportunities for young people and adults.

“The new Greater Manchester Institute of Technology Centre, right here at the University of Salford, will do just that – helping break down those barriers for everyone wanting to follow a path to good jobs in the growing sectors of our economy.”

Jo Purves, Pro Vice-Chancellor Partnerships and Global Engagement at the University of Salford, said: “The Greater Manchester Institute of Technology sits at the heart of our approach to bringing together universities, further education colleges and employers to design training that directly responds to industry need — particularly in high-growth sectors such as construction, engineering and digital technologies.

“Through partnerships such as the Institute of Technology, and initiatives like the Build Salford Construction Pipeline and Workforce Strategy, we are aligning education and industry to

develop the skills the region needs — creating clear, accessible pathways into high-quality jobs for residents across the city region. It’s wonderful to finally declare the GMIoT building open.”

Claire Foreman, Director of the GMIoT, added: “We are delighted that the University’s GMIoT teaching building is open. As a hub for the whole GMIoT partnership, the centre represents an important milestone in the regional delivery of Level 4 and 5 technical education.

“Manchester is currently one of the fastest growing hubs in Europe, but we know there are skills gaps that urgently need addressing. At the GMIoT we specialise in building links with employers to devise courses that will fill those gaps. The new building will be a great base from which we can inspire a new generation of engineers, developers and media professionals.

“We’ll be able to arrange guest speaking events and outreach activities in a great central location which is easily accessible by students and staff from all our partner colleges. Since we started a total of 2,241 students have started programmes ranging from a one-year HNC in computing to a five-year degree apprenticeship in nuclear engineering, so there is plenty of demand.”

The Mayor joined a line-up of influential speakers who explored the power of collaboration between HE, FE and businesses across GM. They included Trafford Council CEO Sara Todd and Principal of Wigan and Leigh College, Anna Dawe OBE.

The modern two storey building is close to Peel Park and houses classrooms, lecture theatres and break out rooms for GMIoT students and staff. Tilbury Douglas are the contractors behind the building which was designed by jmarchitects. The low carbon 1840 m² structure features a green roof with photovoltaic panels and a green living wall.

RHS Bridgewater have generously funded a wellbeing garden for the GMIoT - complete with pergola and sensory planting. The space is designed to support wellbeing in nature with RHS Staff providing therapeutic gardening sessions for staff and students in 2026. The site is a key part of the University’s multi-million-pound Campus Connectivity Plan, which is the major redevelopment of its research, teaching and public spaces and is the most ambitious development of its estate to date.

The building will complement the wider Crescent Salford masterplan delivered by Salford City Council in partnership with the University and ECF (English Cities Fund).