High-tech engineering comes to Bridlington

29 November, 2017

The Centre will aid the delivery of specialised engineering courses that meet the demands of the modern engineering industry, where high-level skills are in demand. Mechatronics is the branch of engineering that focuses on designing and manufacturing products that have both mechanical and electronic components. It brings robotics into engineering, with a strong emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach and problem-solving skills.

The Centre supports the innovative engineering pathway established through the HEAD into Engineering partnership – a collaborative agreement between Headlands School in Bridlington, East Riding College, A B Graphic International (a Bridlington-based multinational), and Derwent Training Association. A ground-breaking initiative, HEAD into Engineering is a programme for pupils in years 10 and 11 at school to have a clear engineering pathway as a GCSE option, which can lead them on to full-time courses at college or an apprenticeship and provide their first steps into a career in the industry.

John Doris, vice-principal for finance and resources said: “The new Centre, along with the HEAD into Engineering programme really puts us in the best position to train highly-skilled engineers in our region. We collaborated with employers, suppliers and other education providers on this project to ensure that students will be able to train on industry-standard equipment and the industry has been very supportive advising on and in some cases, providing the latest state-of-the-art machinery for our students. It shows a real desire in the industry to invest in the next generation of engineers.”

Dr Ruth Smith, chair of the LEP’s Skills and Employability Board said: “A huge number of engineering and manufacturing businesses are set to benefit from developments in mechatronics. The York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP is very pleased to see our £225,000 investment in this priority sector realised in such a high-quality environment. Producing a workforce that is skilled in mechatronics is key to supporting our local manufacturing and engineering companies with the emerging technical skills they need to grow their businesses and develop our local economy.”

Mark Thomas, key account & national systems sales at Bosch Rexroth said: “As part of our ongoing commitment to support the next generation we are proud to support the Bridlington Mechatronics Centre with our latest training aids. The equipment, which is built from genuine industry-leading components, will enable students and lecturers to recreate real-world applications, while demonstrating the principles of modern machine control systems. We hope others will follow in the footsteps of the Centre and set the future cogs in motion for a thriving manufacturing industry.”