Employers and business leaders from across the county were invited to the launch of The Realm at Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC), a new space designed to provide businesses and organisations with access to equipment and technologies that are often too expensive to acquire individually.
The project promotes collaboration between the college’s students and local enterprises, addressing the digital skills gap while strengthening community ties.
The goal at BTC is to bridge traditional arts with digital creativity, preparing students for the workforce by exploring modern equipment, technology, and real-world insights. 
The college is creating a space where local businesses can collaborate with students and the faculty, encouraging innovation while offering resources that support business growth.
Employer feedback has been essential in the development of The Realm, which includes facilities for video and podcast production. The aim is to facilitate the integration of freelancers and creative businesses within the campus environment, enabling them to utilise the space and kit in exchange for supporting student learning.
Sarah-Jane Shillito, Project Manager Local Skills Improvement Fund at the college, said: “Following on from feedback at the event, we have identified various themes including how our employers can help to support skills, growth for business and for our students, the future workforce.
“The employers’ appetite to work with BTC to offer projects, collaboration, work placements, training sessions and sharing knowledge is invaluable to us at BTC and it is great to hear that they also want to collaborate with us to achieve this aim.
“Some clear trends emerged through the event in areas such as entrepreneurship, SEO and analytics, and mentoring.”
She said BTC is looking forward to hosting the sessions. More information about the project is available by emailing therealm@btc.co.uk and by watching the launch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-82cTrmVJwk
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