The GSD has issued a statement raising concerns about the condition of the Gibraltar College building.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The recent severe weather has once again exposed the poor condition of the Gibraltar College of Further Education building. While the Government has said that some water  ingress is to be expected during a “once in a generation storm”, the truth is that this  building has been in a very poor state for many years. The continuing delay in delivering  a new college is being felt most by the students and staff who use the building every day. 

This inevitably raises questions about whether the Government is genuinely in touch  with the reality on the ground at the College. Despite ministers visiting other schools in  recent days, the serious water ingress at Gibraltar College of Further Education appears  to have been ignored. This is difficult to understand unless inconvenient realities are  simply being overlooked.  

Overlooking the problem, however, does not make it go away. It does not change the  reality. The GSLP first promised a new College of Further Education in its 2019 manifesto.  Since then, there have been changes in location and repeated announcements, but seven  years on, students and staff are still without a new college. 

Opposition MP Atrish Sanchez notes: “Students and staff are expected to learn and work  every day in a building that is clearly deteriorating. This is simply not good enough. It  shows a failure to honour long-standing promises and to deal with the real impact these  delays are having on students, families and staff.” 

The creation of a Skills and Technology College has long been a commitment of the GSD.  The new facility will bring together the existing functions of the College of Further  Education and provide modern facilities and workshops for academic, vocational and  hands-on practical training. 

Alongside this, the College will offer high-quality programmes in traditional trades,  technical skills, digital skills and emerging technologies, developed in partnership with  local industry. This approach is essential to widening opportunities for our young people  and supporting future generations. 

It is a commitment that, if elected, we will deliver without drift or delay.