Bristol Uni to open new micro-campus in South Bristol for local people’s education

The University of Bristol has announced plans to open a new micro-campus later this year in Hartcliffe, South Bristol.

This initiative aims to introduce a university experience tailored to those in the local area.

The micro-campus will be operated by Hartcliffe and Withywood Ventures (HWV). Based at the gatehouse Centre in Hareclive Road, an already well established and thriving community hub, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

The Office for Student’s Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund announced today, that it will provide £178,000 towards the project. This will be shared by the University and HWV and will be used to design a new place based, micro-qualification.

Three workshops will be run to design the micro-qualification with employers. The university and HWV will work alongside local communities, further education colleges, and adult learners themselves. The qualification will be piloted twice at no or low cost to students.

The micro-qualification will begin with a module called “What next for me?” offering a distilled version of the university experience for people in the local area. This will also support individuals in seeking further employment or study opportunities. The micro-qualification will then be adapted in other spaces.

A similar centre opened at the Wellspring Settlement in Barton Hill in 2020 which welcomes over 160 users weekly. It runs regular activities, such as Power Education’s Homework Clubs and the “Little Library” day every Tuesday. Both of these began following requests from local communities.

Lawrence Hill (the ward where the Barton Hill micro-campus is based) and Hartcliffe and Withywood are two of the three wards in Bristol which have among the lowest participation rates in higher education in England.

Most Read

Revealed: The apparent texts Grace was sending around before Love Island All Stars

Love Island’s Curtis has addressed whether he would be open to dating a man

An old Elma TikTok about Ekin-Su resurfaces ‘proving’ she was ‘obsessed’ before Love Island

Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said: “I am delighted at the announcement of this investment into community skills education in Bristol South. It is fantastic that the University of Bristol is collaborating with an established community organisation like the Gatehouse Centre to give people in Hartcliffe and Withywood the opportunity to develop their skills and further their careers.

“I have long advocated skills training which is why I am holding my ninth annual Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair at the end of this month.”

As the university’s second micro-campus, representatives at Hartcliffe plan to spend the first year listening to local people about how a university presence in the area might work. Offering a blend of research, teaching and enterprise activities it aims to add to the existing ecosystem in the area.

The two micro-campuses will form part of a network of civic spaces linked to the university’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) in 2026.

Credits: University of Bristol

“This is your university. Come and help us shape what the university is, and who it is for, in your community. Universities are places where we can all find out more about the world and learn new skills,” said Professor Tom Sperlinger, Academic Lead for Engagement at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.

Spreading the university’s message to people in Hartcliffe and Withywood, he follows: “In order to do our work well, universities need to adapt for the challenges ahead. The micro-campuses, like TQEC, are spaces for the university to do things differently: learning from our partners, locally and internationally, and developing new forms of education and research where we can work with others on the urgent questions we all face.

“We’ve already gained a lot from the partnerships we’ve formed in Barton Hill. We are really excited about getting to know communities and partners in Hartcliffe and Withywood better. We have a lot to learn from them.”

Featured image via the University of Bristol