Weston College is to open officially its bespoke £2.5 million engineering training centre with a ceremony attended by leading local and national businesses.

The College has invested £1.5 million in machinery and equipment and £1 million in building works at its South West Skills Campus, which now offers a full engineering and manufacturing curriculum.

Among those attending the launch event on November 2 will be representatives from major companies including Serco (one of the largest employers in the country), GKN (whose apprentices are currently undergoing training at the College), Thatchers, Midas and SKF Clevedon.

Dr Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “Weston College is committed to helping businesses in the engineering, aerospace and manufacturing sectors grow and develop the talent of the future by supporting the development of a highly skilled, innovative and valuable workforce.

“To achieve this aim, the College has invested in facilities including bespoke engineering and advanced technology workshops, composite manufacturing workshops, 3D printing suites and classrooms, IT suites and learning spaces.”

The new facilities have enabled the College, which has been rating ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, to expand its engineering courses. It now offers qualifications in a wide range of engineering skills including mechanical, fabrication and welding, aeronautical, manufacturing, digital technologies and maintenance.

The College has also become one of the first in the UK to offer a new Trailblazer Apprenticeship for the aerospace industry, and is one of the few colleges in the country to offer an apprenticeship pathway in advanced composites.

Andy Davidson, Weston College’s Executive Director of Professional and Technical Curriculum, said that engineering graduates can expect to earn 20% more per year than graduates from most other subjects and it is expected that there will be 1.86 million jobs in the sector available over the next five years.

“Engineering is an incredibly important part of both the local and national economy, and is responsible for £280 billion of the country’s gross added value.

“It’s a fast growing industry in the UK and there is an enormous amount of demand for qualified engineers. Weston College’s brand-new facilities will enable us to provide students with training on the most current and up-to-date machines, and properly prepare them for jobs in the engineering industry.”

The College - which was named ‘College of the Year’ and ‘Overall FE Provider of the Year’ at the national TES Awards – has installed cutting-edge technology including fully equipped machining workshops, materials labs, hydraulics and pneumatics labs, PLC and control systems labs, electronics workshop, CAD suites, composites workshops, 3D printing facilities and maintenance and fabrication workshops.

Many of these facilities will be demonstrated during a tour that will take place as part of the launch of the new £2.5 million engineering workshops, in addition to presentations that will be made by representatives from the University of the West of England.