Solihull College & University Centre welcomed senior military officers who will be future Ministers in their respective countries to their Woodlands Campus, Smith’s Wood on Wednesday 13th April.
17 senior military personnel along with David Bradnock, MBE JP FBHI HM Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands Chairman & Lieutenancy Ambassador for Solihull QAVS Ambassador who organised and attended Solihull College & University Centre as part of their tour of West Midlands Tour including Birmingham and Solihull areas. Many of the service personnel were from outside the UK and it was the first time they had visited the area.
After already visiting Jaguar Land Rover in the morning the guests arrived at Woodlands Campus just after midday for a tour of the Engineering and Motor Vehicle facilities at Solihull College. After a warm welcome from Principal and Chief Executive of Solihull College & University Centre, John Callaghan the tour began. Mike Nicholl, Head of School for Engineering, Motor Vehicle and Construction at the College led part of the tour with colleagues Brett Jim, Programme Manager for Motor Vehicle and Rosa Wells, Programme Manager for Engineering on hand to provide an in-depth understanding of the areas, courses and facilities on offer at Solihull College.
Both the motor vehicle and engineering facilities have received funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in recent years to expand; ensuring demand for courses with the local area is met. The most recent additions to the Woodlands Campus in Smith’s Wood come in the form of a former Navy aircraft, which many of the visiting service personnel were familiar with and a 737 flight simulator. Other engineering facilities include the manufacturing engineering workshop and the electrical engineering workshop. The motor vehicle department at the College has also expanded in recent years with more workshops being added, a range of vehicles being made available as well as an MOT centre for students to work in.
The members of the military were able to meet with a number of students on their visit, including students from Denmark, who are part of an exchange programme at the College, and had the chance to ask questions to gain an understanding of how Solihull College & University Centre benefits the community and the industries in which students can progress into after completing their qualifications. The visitors were extremely impressed with the facilities available to students and recognised that despite the struggles within the sector the College is successfully doing all it can to ensure that students achieve and progress within their relevant industries.
The visit concluded with thanks from Principal John Callaghan to all of the senior military personnel who attended which was returned by all of the visitors. John Callaghan commented: “Our Woodlands Campus is home to a variety of excellent facilities and we are always extremely proud to showcase said facilities.
“As a College we were extremely honoured to welcome David Bradnock HM Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands along with a number of senior military personnel to our campus and we were pleased with how impressed all of the visitors were with what we have to offer here at Solihull College & University Centre. Over the past few years we have added to our offer and we continue to seek new opportunities to develop all of our facilities to ensure that our learners receive the best possible education in great facilities, which in turn prepares them for industry.”
For more information on the courses available at Solihull College & University Centre visit the open days on Tuesday 19th April at the Blossomfield Campus or Wednesday 20th April at the Woodlands Campus. You can also visit the Woodlands Campus on the Family Open Day on Saturday 23rd April or call 0121 678 7000.
