Belfast Metropolitan College

54.594°N 5.933°W / 54.594; -5.933

Belfast Metropolitan College
Belfast Metropolitan College, Millfield
Address
125–153 Millfield Belfast , County Antrim , BT1 1HS Northern Ireland
Information
Other name	Belfast Met
Former name	Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education
Type	Further Education & Higher Education
Motto	Outstanding learning for successful futures
Established	2007 (roots from 1906)
Principal & CEO	Louise Warde Hunter
Staff	1,114
Age range	16+
Enrolment	37,000
Campus size	3 main campuses
Colour(s)	Blue and white
Website	www.belfastmet.ac.uk

Belfast Metropolitan College, also known as Belfast Met, is a further and higher education institution in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The college offers both vocational education and academic qualifications. With over 37,000 enrolments and an annual budget in the region of £60 million,^[1] it is the largest FE college in the UK and the fourth largest post-secondary institution in the UK.^[2][3]

History

The college traces its origins back to the beginning of the twentieth century when the Belfast Municipal Technical Institute was established in 1906. It was in a grand building in College Square East, constructed between 1902 and 1906.^[4]

College Square East survived the Belfast blitz with students often having to hide in its air-raid shelters during the Second World War.^[5]

College Square East was known colloquially as the 'Black Man Tech'. The official name of the college was the Municipal Technical College however it was also known as 'The Tech' and the 'Black Man Tech'. It is often incorrectly perceived that the title ‘Black Man’ comes from the statue of Dr Henry Cooke which currently stands outside the building. However, interestingly, the name 'Black Man' dates back further than Dr Cooke (leader of Belfast's Evangelical Presbyterians). The original statue on the site and the first public statue in Belfast, was erected in 1855 to commemorate Fredrick Richard, Earl of Belfast (his courtesy title as heir to the 3rd Marquis of Donegall). The statue was dark bronze and some say that it was later painted black due to weathering making it look rather mottled. Soon it was known as ‘THE BLACK MAN’ and became one of Belfast's best loved rendezvous spots and noted landmarks in the City. Twenty years later the statue was removed and replaced by that of Dr Henry Cooke. It was taken to the Town Hall Victoria Street and in 1906 removed to the City Hall where it still stands inside the building. It is very common to acquire an affectionate name and in Belfast the 'Black Man' would have been perceived as a place, not a person, where people met and not after the ‘green statue’ of Dr Cooke.^[6]

Other specialist colleges were subsequently established in the city including Stanhope Street, Rupert Stanley, and the College of Business Studies in Brunswick Street. In the early 1990s, these colleges amalgamated as the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education which in turn merged with Castlereagh College to form the current Belfast Metropolitan College in 2007.^[7]

In September 2011, Belfast Met opened a new £44 million campus in Titanic Quarter. It was officially opened by Princess Anne on 10 November 2011.^[8] Michael D Higgins visited several months later.^[9]

Campuses

Belfast Met has three main campuses. They are Millfield Campus, Castlereagh Campus, and Titanic Quarter Campus.

Belfast Met also has several smaller centres around the city such as e3 at Springvale Campus, opened in 2012.^[10]

The city centre campuses at Brunswick Street and College Square East were sold when the Titanic Quarter campus opened in 2011. College Square East was made into student accommodation in 2016 at a cost of £16 million, but it retains its exterior appearance due to being a listed building.^[11][12]

Academic courses

Belfast Met offers courses from GCSE level to GNVQ and even undergraduate courses.^[13]

Millfield:

Courses	Notes
Access to university
Art and Graphic Design
Building trades
Child Care
Counselling
Engineering
GCSEs
Health & Social Care
Media
Music
Sport
Support Learning

Castlereagh Campus:

Courses	Notes
Biology
Child Care
Computing
Electronic Security
Fashion
Health & Social Care
Motor Vehicle
Tourism

Titanic Quarter Campus:

Courses	Notes
A(/2/S) Levels
Animal Care
Beauty
Business & Administration
Computing
Dental Nursing
ESOL
Fashion
Pharmaceutical Science
ESports

e3 Campus:

Courses	Notes
Business & Administration
Hospitality
Journalism
Retail and Sales

^{[a] [b]}

Leadership

Louise Warde Hunter, the former Deputy Secretary of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, became Principal and CEO of Belfast Met in April 2020.^[15] She replaced Marie-Thérèse McGivern who had been the Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met since 2009.^[16]

Awards

In April 2020, Belfast Met received the Queen's Anniversary Prize – a UK-wide award recognising excellence, innovation and public benefit in work carried out by UK colleges and universities.^[17]

Alumni

• Danny Blanchflower, footballer
• Aidan Browne, television presenter and actor
• Eamonn Holmes, TV personality
• John Irvine, newsreader
• Brian Keenan, writer
• Colin Morgan, actor
• Joseph Tomelty, actor and playwright
• Lynda Bryans, television presenter
• William Blease, Baron Blease
• [Aidan Walsh], Olympic Boxer - Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist

Notes

1. Courses may have different names and several courses may exist within each subject area.
2. Course list correct as of January 2021^[14]

References

1. "Belfast Metropolitan College". the complete university guide. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
2. "CorporatePlan2016" (PDF). Retrieved 15 October 2017.
3. "Belfast Metropolitan College". Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
4. "About us - History". Belfast Metropolitan College. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
5. "The Central Hall". Belfast Metropolitan College. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
6. Murphy, Liam. "Only one Black Man put on a pedestal". belfastmedia. Belfast Media. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
7. "Belfast Metropolitan College". The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
8. Dougan, Patrice (11 November 2011). "Princess lavishes praise on Northern Ireland's fundraising efforts". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
9. "President Higgins makes first visit to Belfast". Belfast Telegraph. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
10. "Landmark £18 million 'e3' Belfast Metropolitan College building opened". 20 September 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
11. "STUDENT ACCOMMODATION COLLEGE SQUARE EAST, BELFAST". harveygroup. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
12. Houston, Lesley (25 June 2014). "Belfast's College Square East building to become student accommodation in £16m facelift". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
13. "Full-time - Higher education". Belfast Metropolitan College. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
14. "Courses". Belfast Met. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
15. "Belfast Met wins three BTEC Awards". FE News. July 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
16. "Marie-Thérèse McGivern FORMER PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BELFAST METROPOLITAN COLLEGE". The College of the Future. The College Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
17. "Prestigious UK honour for Belfast Met". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

External links

• Belfast Metropolitan College – official website