City College Brighton & Hove was a large general further education college in Brighton and Hove. Its main campus was at Pelham Street, Brighton. It had previously been named Brighton College of Technology and before that Brighton Technical College. In early 2017 this college and Worthing-based Northbrook College were merged to form Greater Brighton Metropolitan College. The college was a popular choice for visual arts progression from nearby colleges e.g. A-level art and photography courses, and provides academic grounding in workmanships such as woodwork, carpentry, engineering, plumbing and electronics. The technical progressions the college provided gave opportunities for post-GCSE students wishing to pursue a specific profession rather than studying multiple A-levels. The college also supported adult learning for over 21s, including those without existing traditional qualifications but the necessary experience and intentions. The college embraced media technologies with the introduction of video games related qualifications. Courses syllabuses were regularly updated with new technologies to keep tuition up to date and the most desirable by employers.
Two thousand full-time students, and over 9000 part-time, attended the college every year. The students came from varying kinds of social and ethnic backgrounds, including many international students. There was no accommodation for City College students.
College redevelopment
On 11 December 2013 it was announced that plans for the college to be rebuilt were approved by the local planning committees. It was hoped the new building would be more appropriate for teaching, aiding growth in the local area by creating 141 construction jobs. However, the plan was controversial among students, staff and residents. This is partly due to part of the college plot being sold off for housing and many departments being reduced in size.
Awards
City College's carpentry department was awarded a City & Guilds Medal for Excellence eleven times from 1996. The college also achieved the ‘Action for Business Colleges’ accreditation, marking the college’s responsiveness to the needs of the local business community. In addition the college was also awarded a 'Centre of Vocational Excellence' status in Digital Design, Instrumentation, Automation and Control Engineering, Heritage Engineering, Business, Management and Finance, Hospitality and Tourism.
