Budding engineers across the South West are being given a major boost to their prospects as City of Bristol College announced plans to launch a new engineering centre of excellence in September 2013.

The College, which acquired a site for the development on the North Bristol/South Gloucestershire border, will embark on the construction of a new building and an extensive refurbishment programme of its current buildings based at Parkway.

The new centre will consolidate most of the College’s existing engineering, aeronautical and automotive capabilities under one roof, while related courses will continue to be offered at the College’s centre in South Bristol. The engineering centre’s links with the new University Technical College (UTC), which is also due to open in 2013, will provide an end-to-end education solution from secondary school age through to further education.

The new centre will have the capacity to accommodate over 1,600 students.

Keith Elliott, Principal and Chief Executive at City of Bristol College, said: “Our intention is to create a leading centre for learning and development within engineering and related sectors, whilst working closely with the business community.

“The centre will enable the College to build on its extensive credentials and to provide the skills required in the engineering sectors, which will support the economic growth in the South West and nationally.”

When opened, the centre will provide an enhanced curriculum, covering for the first time hybrid vehicle technologies and composite materials. A further investment in new equipment, from a commercial vehicle brake testing system to an on-site jet aircraft, will enable students to learn from the latest technologies in the industry.

John Taylor, Head of the Transport and Engineering Technology Faculty at City of Bristol College said: “Our aim is to always deliver programmes that support the engineering industry in meeting their skills requirements and producing students who possess the knowledge and skills which will enable them to become the industry’s engineers and technicians of the future. We deliver this with a combination of the highest levels of teaching standards and cutting edge technology.”

A breakfast briefing aimed at business leaders was hosted by the College to present the plans for the development.

Brian Thornton from SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Technology will be speaking at the event. He says: “It is appropriate that this new facility should be in the city where one of the greatest engineers of all time lived and worked.

“City of Bristol College’s new engineering facility will be a great asset to many engineering companies who underpin the economy of both the South West and UK plc, and will help develop future generations of engineers follow in the footsteps of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.”