Romford engineering students to get top facilities with Barking and Dagenham College grant
Barking and Dagenham College - Credit: Archant
A college will offer brand new, state-of-the-art, engineering facilities in the new academic year after it was awarded a sought-after grant.
Barking and Dagenham College, Dagenham Road, Romford, has won a £96,000 grant from education charity Edge Innovation to open the Siemens’ Mechatronics Academy.
New specialist classes, developed with electronics company Siemens, will form part of the college’s science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) centre and will allow students to gain industry standard certification from Siemens.
Barking and Dagenham College principal Cathy Walsh said: “With the input of Siemens on curriculum design and delivery we are giving young people, and employed engineering technicians, the opportunity to compete in a global economy.”
The new mechatronics facilities - which combine mechanics and electronics - will cater for 120 students and 250 more young people who will use the centre for extra-curricular activities.
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The new laboratory-style workshops will help boost student employability by giving budding engineers the chance to work on the latest Siemens equipment.
Edge Foundation CEO Jan Hodges said: “Edge has worked hard over the past decade, seeking a closer alignment between education and the skill needs of the UK economy.
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“The grant fund has allowed us to reach out across the country so that grant recipients can help this unfold at a local level.”
The charity, which is in its 10th year, seeks to promote technical, practical and vocational learning and looks into alternate pathways for young people in education.
Ms Hodges added: “The Academy will be a beacon for vocational learning in the sector and we are delighted to be able to support Barking and Dagenham College as they embark on this new venture.”
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