The week commencing 13th October saw the launch of Bolton College's new £4.3 million STEM Centre, which culminated with the official opening by Richard Noble OBE at Thursday’s VIP Launch evening.
The spectacular event was attended by local employers, education providers, Governors, Bolton Councillors and members of the press, and was hosted in the brand new STEM Centre alongside Bloodhound’s 1,000mph SuperSonic Car – a jet and rocket powered car designed to travel faster than the speed of sound.
The College chose to support the global engineering venture in conjunction with the launch of the STEM Centre because the project aims to use a 1,000mph World Land Speed Record attempt to inspire the next generation to get involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
The STEM Centre, which is furnished with industry-standard equipment and the latest technology, has been developed to focus on the core STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) in response to local priorities. There is currently a lack of vocational STEM progression pathways to Higher Education and professional status in Bolton, and, in line with the Bolton Skills Strategy, the College has resolved to reverse this trend in order to meet the skills needs of the local economy by increasing Apprenticeship and employment opportunities for young people.
Throughout the action-packed week, the College received over 1,200 school pupils who all got the chance to witness a shockwave generated by hydrogen and oxygen balloons, design their own K’NEX Car and interact with the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car, among other stimulating STEM-related activities.
Marie Gilluley, Principal and CEO of Bolton College, said: “It’s been a fantastic week, and the launch event was the perfect finale. I’m thrilled that the Centre is finally open, and I look forward – along with the College’s partners and stakeholders – to a new STEM-orientated future for Bolton’s young people and current and future workforce.”
From conception to fruition, the STEM project has taken around three years to come together, with invaluable contributions from the College’s partners in the STEM Employer Advisory Group. The College also consulted local schools and universities prior to and during the development of the Centre.
Bolton Council is one of Bolton College’s valued partners, and the Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Cllr Ebrahim Adia, said: “It’s great to see work completed on this fantastic new centre. Improving the skills levels of our residents is an important priority for us, in order to meet the needs of the economy in years to come. The centre will provide an important pathway for our residents to access training and ultimately progress to employment opportunities in the science, technology and engineering fields. The completion of the building is also a further expansion of the knowledge campus, in the heart of our Innovation Zone. We’re also looking forward to continued growth and investment across Bolton, including the £48m Transport Interchange.”
Richard Noble OBE, holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997, added: “The Bloodhound Project's primary aim is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, so we have a strong synergy with Bolton College's new STEM Centre. It's a privilege to open the Centre, a school which will facilitate so much exciting learning.”
