His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG officially opened Solihull College, Woodlands campus on Tuesday 26 May. HRH arrived at Solihull College and was welcomed by Principal John Callaghan. Also present was the High Sheriff of West Midlands, Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands, Mayor of Solihull and the Mayors Consort along with MP Caroline Spelman.
Solihull College Principal told the visitors how the college has been working hard to develop the facilities in order to give young people the opportunities they need to gain the skills in the industry they aspire to develop a career in.
The Duke of Kent enjoyed a tour of Solihull College’s facilities including Aerospace, Motor Vehicle and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre. HRH met with HE Engineering Coordinator Rosa Wells and was introduced to students who were attending Solihull College from Secondary Schools around the West Midlands as part of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) visit with charity EDT. EDT aims to give young people the experience and skills needed to develop in their potential careers in STEM and works with Solihull College to do so. Students were given the opportunity to practice skills such as drilling, marking and team work and HRH met with students and spoke about the available opportunities.
Mr Callaghan accompanied His Royal Highness to the Motor Vehicle department where Programme Manager Brett Jim introduced the Duke of Kent to students currently studying at Solihull College, who spoke of the work they have completed at the college this year. His Royal Highness then met with Engineering Lecturer, Rob Almond to have a tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Centre.
His Royal Highness concluded his visit to Solihull College by unveiling the plaque to mark the official opening of Solihull College, Woodlands Campus.
John Callaghan, Principal of Solihull College said “??It was an honour to welcome a member of the royal family, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG, to officially open our Woodlands campus. We are extremely proud of our fantastic facilities at Solihull College and the opportunities that we can provide for students aspiring to have careers in engineering. We believe that it is our job to help provide the next generation of skilled employees through our many courses at Solihull College and through a wide network of professional partnerships including GBSLEP, schools, colleges, universities and businesses.”?
Solihull College are constantly looking for opportunities to expand and offer its students the best facilities. The college is set to invest in an aviation centre which will give students the opportunity to develop their engineering skills and have a chance to work on structures similar to those currently used within the engineering field. The college is also looking to offer engineering degree level courses for students in partnership with Oxford Brookes University.
For more information on the courses available at Solihull College visit www.solihull.ac.uk/courses or call 0121 678 7000.
