Bournville College centre 'to continue engineering tradition in Birmingham'

A new college centre will help continue the rich tradition of mechanical engineering in Birmingham, bosses have claimed.

The centre, which will specialise in mechanical and electric engineering, will open at Bournville College in Longbridge on 30 August.

The college has equipped workshops with industry standard equipment including grinding machines, drills and lathes after £545,000 investment, including roughly half from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

“We hope that this investment will continue the tradition of automotive and mechanical engineering in the area – a history that is the lifeblood of the local community,” said Steve Grice, head of engineering and electrical courses.

“The college offers electronic engineering courses already but the new centre will allow us to expand into mechanical engineering, providing more students with an opportunity to pursue a career in this field.”

Applications are open to people who are completely new to engineering, or workers hoping to reskill or improve, he added.

The centre will be a “great place” for aspiring engineers, said development director Chris Newsome. “This investment will aid the next generation of engineers and help to address skills gap we currently face.”

The centre will run BTEC levels one and two in engineering and a level three extended diploma in mechanical engineering.

To enrol, call 0800 111 6311 or visit www.sccb.ac.uk.