9:10pm Sunday 18th January 2009
By Hayley Cover
Bicester teenagers showed a racing firm boss they are in the fast lane of engineering at their £600,000 motorsports facility.
Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s Bicester-based engineering centre, had its official opening last week, where students showed David Richards, the chairman of Prodrive, they are up to speed in their courses.
The centre, which has been running since September, offers engineering diplomas and other full-time courses to 200 pupils.
So far 130 young people have signed up to a range of courses including introductory diploma in motorsports, motorsports engineering intermediate, motorsports engineering advanced, advanced apprenticeship in motorsports, advanced apprenticeship in motorsports engineering, advanced diploma in engineering and a foundation degree in motorsport.
A further 70 youngsters, already employed in the motorsports industry including firms like Banbury-based Prodrive, have joined apprenticeship schemes at the purpose-built centre in Telford Road.
A consortium of six colleges and schools, including Bicester Community College, in Queens Avenue, and Cooper School, in Churchill Road, were selected to run a pilot diploma course.
A college spokesman said: “The engineering area continues to grow and develop innovative courses that focus on employer’s needs and specialist areas of work including electronics, motorsports and composites.
“We hope it will lead to a new generation of students making performance cars.”
The development — a Centre of Vocational Excellence — features engineering machinery including lathes, milling machines and grinders.
It also includes a motorsports workshop with a learning resource centre and a showroom.
The official opening had been delayed because of the death of the centre’s development manager Evers Pearce.
One of the workshops has been named in his memory.
Work on the extension, which was part funded by the Government providing £250,000 and OCVC £350,000, began in May.
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