East Riding College has opened a new Mechatronics Centre at its campus in Bridlington, supported by funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership and donations of equipment donated from industry suppliers, including XYZ Machine Tools, Rexroth Bosch and Cutting Edge Solutions (www.astridingcollege.ac.uk).

The Mechatronics Centre will support the innovative engineering pathway established through the Head into Engineering partnership, which involves Headlands School in Bridlington, East Riding College, AB Graphic International and Derwent Training Association.

This will give pupils in years 10 and 11 at school a clear engineering pathway as a GCSE option, which can lead them on to full-time courses at college or an apprenticeship.

John Doris, vice-principal for finance and resources, said: “The new centre, along with the Head into Engineering programme, puts us in the best position to train highly skilled engineers in our region.

“We collaborated with employers, suppliers and other education providers on this project to ensure that students will be able to train on industry-standard equipment, and the industry has been very supportive, advising on — and in some cases providing — the latest ‘state of the art’ machinery for our students.

“It shows a real desire in the industry to invest in the next generation of engineers.”