Double Delivery for the ‘Outstanding’ EKC Group.

Date: February 2025

This second project forms part of Swale Borough Council’s wider Sheerness Revival; - a £20 million regeneration project, funded by the UK Government which aims to improve the health, leisure, education and employment opportunities on the Isle of Sheppey through delivery of three major capital projects.

Appointed by EKC Group as their preferred contractor following an open and competitive tender process Jenner are now live on site to design and build a 2-storey education building at their Sheppey campus which will link to the existing college block to provide essential new teaching areas and a bespoke IT workshop.

The 900 square meters of new learning space will not only accommodate more students but will allow the College to offer a wider range of courses focused on supporting the creative, engineering, and logistics sectors. This will equip local 16–19-year-olds with the essential skills and attributes that they need to thrive in today’s marketplace and contribute to the local economy. 

Dan Shelley, Chief Infrastructure and Transformation Officer for EKC Group, said: “As a Group, we’re committed to using local suppliers wherever we can, so it was brilliant to have such a competitive tender from Jenner as a local company. They were chosen for the ability to deliver this project within a short timeframe and to a high degree of quality, whilst also achieving the best value for money.”

Cllr Monique Bonney, Chair of Property and Economy at Swale Borough Council added: "Improving the education and training opportunities for young people in Sheerness, and across the whole Island, is one of the cornerstones of the Sheerness Revival project. "It is great to see this project moving into the construction phase and the hard work put into the project by EKC Group and Jenner come to fruition.”

With an existing ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ in place since March 2023 between EKC Group and Jenner; a mutually beneficial agreement between the two parties to work together to ensure our future generations are armed with the right skills they need in the workplace and for industry longevity. As part of this, and our overall business commitment to give back to the communities we serve, Jenner will offer a range of additional extra-curricular activities that will benefit the students in gaining invaluable hands-on experience, insight and the advice and guidance they need to succeed.

The steel-framed building with its urbanised aesthetic of exposed build features is designed by Canterbury based architectural practice LE P who are highly experienced in the FE sector and fully understand the key drivers of our client in achieving a modern, fit-for-purpose building that is commercially viable and offers best value for their investment. Jenner and LE P will work together to deliver both the facilities here at Sheppey and those in Margate as well as the Dover Beacon ‘Bench Building’ where EKC Group are engaged as an end-user for the creative element of the flagship build by Dover District Council that regenerates a redundant site in Dover town centre. Working together on all of these exciting projects means that trusted, open relations will be paramount to success in delivering exceptional new learning facilities across 3 corners of the Kent landscape.

This project is funded by UK Government.

CGI's courtesy of LE P