Engineering centre prepares for launch

A major investment by South & City College Birmingham is set to put Longbridge back on the map as a home of engineering with the opening of a new study centre this month.

Bournville College, which is part of South & City College Birmingham, will boast a £545,000 state-of-the-art engineering centre which will train students in mechanical and electronical engineering when it opens on August 30.

Almost half of the funding for the new site was provided by the Local Growth Fund from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership – a large proportion of which has been invested in equipping the workshops with industry standard equipment such as grinding machines, drilling machines and lathes.

Steve Grice, head of school for engineering and electrical, said: “The new facility will take over a large area of the college and is a significant development for the regeneration of Longbridge. 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.”

Chris Newsome, development director for Longbridge at St.Modwen, the developer and regeneration specialist, said: “We’re confident that the new engineering centre will be a valuable addition to the college’s existing impressive teaching portfolio and will be a great place for aspiring engineers to learn and develop. This investment will aid the next generation of engineers and help to address skills gap we currently face.”