Iconic Manchester music venue to become home to new gaming and sound tech college

Exciting plans have been unveiled to transform part of an iconic Manchester venue into a hi-tech, specialist college. New Century Hall, which once played host to artists like the Tina Turner and Jimi Hendrix, is undergoing a major £10 million transformation - including an 800-plus capacity concert venue and a food hall.

Now, one of the country's leading technical colleges has confirmed plans to open a new campus at New Century Hall, specialising in sound and gaming technology. The dBs Institute of Sound and Digital Technologies is hoping to launch its new programme this autumn.

It comes at a crucial time for Manchester's tech and gaming sectors, with the city recently being named the second most attractive place for tech investment outside of London. The digital tech sector employed more than 100,000 people in Manchester in 2019.

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dBs says the new facility will provide a 'robust stream of talented graduates' to add to Manchester's digital workforce. Thirty new jobs will also be created.

Nige Burt, dBs founder, said: "For years, there has been a common misconception that audio and gaming careers are not to be taken seriously and are sometimes looked at as nothing more than an extracurricular, creative hobby, rather than a viable career path. But the truth is, while they are indeed creative, there is another extremely technical side to these types of courses, which is often overlooked.

"That’s why dBs Institute exists - to debunk the myths surrounding degrees in this field and to give students who are serious about audio and gaming the best start to their careers. With all of that in mind,