A quiet summer? At our college, it's all systems go!

Summer’s here! The soaring temperatures followed by monsoon-style rain and thunderstorms have arrived in Burnley.

The final term at Burnley College has come to an end. The exams are over for many learners and the long summer holiday has started.

It’s time for them to reflect on their successes over the 2022-23 academic year and plan ahead – for university, for an apprenticeship, for a great career or to return in September for their next year of college study.

You might think that college life slows down at this time of year. Yes, many tutors who lead on A Levels, vocational study and T Levels will take a well-deserved break.

However, Burnley College is far from quiet as the delivery of two amazing five-axis CNC machines supported with a variety of automation solutions including robot interface over recent weeks has shown.

It’s all systems go for us as the factory of the future comes to life in our engineering  department. It’s the first stage of work to create an Institute of Technology base right here in Burnley.

We’re proud to be part of the Lancashire and Cumbria IoT along with partner colleges across the region and it’s truly exciting to see our workshops spring to life after months – if not years – of discussions.

The IoT development means that we’re consolidating our place as a sector

leader in advanced manufacturing, digital transformation as well as becoming a centre of excellence for cyber force training and also the future of healthcare science.

All this is happening over the ‘quieter’ summer months!

Come September, we’ll be unveiling a campus which is brimming with the very latest in automation and robotics, cyber hubs and state-of-the-art science equipment.

I can’t wait to talk to employers about how we can bring the future of their sector to life today. I’m excited to see learners looking for those higher-level skills get ‘hands on’ with this amazing kit.

I’m open to meet anyone who wants a chat about this amazing development and how it can impact on the future of business in Lancashire.