Engineering students get hands on with industry technology

Engineering skills, industry insight and collaboration were on show as the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT) staged a cross college student event at Burnley College, bringing together learners from Burnley College, Blackpool and The Fylde College and East Lancashire Learning Group (ELLG). 

Students rotated through three specialist sessions at the college: a Mazak 5 Axis and Robotic Arm workshop, an Automation Suite and Advanced PLC session, and the Industry 4.0 Data Hub, each giving learners practical experience of the kind of equipment and technology used in modern engineering workplaces. 

The day was designed to raise awareness of the opportunities available across the Lancashire and Cumbria IoT, helping students understand the higher technical education routes open to them and the career routes engineering and manufacturing can offer. 

Louise Hedge, curriculum manager for apprenticeship engineering at Burnley College, said: "It's been a really effective day for all the learners involved, from level three up to higher education level, using advanced skills to develop themselves further in their particular chosen pathway." 

Joe Boughey, training and support manager at Didactic Services, who led the automation suite and advanced PLC session, added: "It's been great to see students getting to grips with diagnosing faults and correcting code within a couple of hours. Watching them smile and realise how much they're enjoying learning on the equipment has been the highlight of the day." 

The IoT brings together nine colleges and three universities across Lancashire and Cumbria, working with employers to give learners the technical skills they need across six key sectors: engineering and manufacturing, construction, digital and cyber, clean energy and sustainability, professional services, and science and health.  

The event allowed the IoT to showcase the strengths and specialist provision available across its member colleges, and to support the next generation of engineers as they consider their next steps.