Plans to transform Dover campus of East Kent College was unveiled on Monday when Matthew Hancock, the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, visited the town.

The vision for the campus includes creating specialist vocational space for students studying engineering, logistics and hospitality, industries that are considered vital to the local visitor economy.

The minister was accompanied by MP Charlie Elphicke on his trip to visit various businesses in the area.

They went to the Dover Harbour Board, London Fancy Box, Megger, Morgan Jones, and the Channel Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting the minister got the businesses’ feedback on the redevelopment plans and heard first-hand about skills issues facing the district and east Kent.

Mr Hancock said: “East Kent College is driving efforts to build a bridge between education and the world of work in Dover.

“East Kent College is driving efforts to build a bridge between education and the world of work in Dover." - Matthew Hancock

“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to see first-hand the college’s strong bid for improved facilities and to have met local employers keen to engage with the college and its students.”

East Kent College formally takes over responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Dover campus on August 1, after the Dover and Folkestone campuses being separated from K College.

The campus has 240 students but East Kent College plans to double that number to cater for 500 learners and apprentices in the future.

Mr Elphicke said: “It was a real battle to secure the future of the Dover campus, yet we succeeded.

“Now we need to make it a more modern campus that learners will be proud of.

“Dover is seeing a lot of investment, and investing in our future with a modern campus is a key part of that.”

Read the full report in this week's Mercury, out now.