Leader of BCP Council Cuts Ribbon, Officially Opening College’s Advanced Engineering Centre
Cllr. Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), officially opened the doors of the new and innovative Advanced Engineering Centre at Bournemouth and Poole College on Wednesday, 14th May.
The new centre will revolutionise the delivery of Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing qualifications at the college, providing state-of-the-art Engineering and Mechatronics facilities and teaching spaces, with industry-standard, programmable equipment that reflects the real-world environments students will encounter in the sector.
Cllr. Earl joined guests from industries that work alongside the Engineering sector, delivering the final talk in a series of presentations in which she advocated the importance of educating young people about the benefits for them to choose their route into Engineering. She finished it with a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the centre. Cllr. Earl also chatted with students who demonstrated state-of-the-art equipment, and met with business owners and other sector professionals.
Berk, a student on the T Level Engineering Year 1 course undertaking demonstrations for attendees said: “I was asked about my work experience, so I summarised some of the tasks I undertook such as unloading and preloading CNC machines, compound and parts, inspecting machines and applying safety cottons. I talked about what the insights from the experience had given me. I demonstrated Hooke’s Law for force and guests asked questions.”
In her LinkedIn post following the event, Cllr. Earl said, “We all need to do our part in encouraging more people to look at Engineering as a career choice. It's a fascinating area that needs creative thinkers, problem solvers and those keen to make a difference in the world - especially as it will be our engineers who will find solutions to so many of our collective challenges from green energy, climate change, infrastructure, medical advancements and more.”
David Ford, Chair of the Board at Bournemouth and Poole College, and James Hills, Director of Learning for Engineering, Professional and Public Industries, both delivered mini-presentations about the college, its 2026-2030 Vision, £Multimillion new buildings and renovations, and the college’s strategic strands which help to shape the curriculum and to meet industry demands.
Guests were also treated to an overview of REIDsteel – a Christchurch-based engineering company which prides itself on its primary steel, secondary steel, tailored cladding systems, architectural glazing and doors, and vehicle and hangar doors.
Simon Boyd, Managing Director of REIDsteel, ran through in his presentation some of the major projects that the company works on, such as the building of the Heritage Bridge in Barbados. He told the group the importance of training and recruiting local engineers, with REIDsteel being based in Christchurch.
The Engineering department at the college is currently redeveloping its Level 1 Engineering provision for September, and in the subsequent Engineering Advisory Board (EAB) meeting held after the launch, college staff consulted with businesses on the shape of the course. For more information on our Engineering courses, please see: https://www.thecollege.co.uk/college/study/subject-areas/engineering.
