LANDMARKS around Colchester have been turned into celebratory spots to welcome the University Centre Colchester.

Colchester Institute has offered degrees at its Sheepen Road campus for more than 50 years.

The college will retain its name but the Higher Education Centre has been renamed University Centre Colchester.

Alumni and undergraduates like Elysha Devlin, 19, have welcomed the name change, which puts a stamp of approval on their degree study.

With other students, Miss Devlin has ventured across Colchester collecting selfies and interviews from employers including jam maker Wilkin & Sons, Colchester United FC, and honorary graduate Grayson Perry.

She said: “I attended Colchester Institute at 16 to study for my art and design BTEC diploma, then decided to stay on and take on an honours degree in design craft because I knew I’d get more individual tuition here than elsewhere."

Colchester Institute has one of the highest graduate employment rates in the country, with 94 per cent of graduates landing a job within six months.

Principal and chief executive Alison Andreas said: "The name change also follows three years of intense activity, where we have invested over £1 5million at the Colchester campus to give all our students the very best facilities in which they can learn.”

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Higher Education Funding Council and Essex University have heavily supported UCC’s transition.

For more information visit colchester.ac.uk.