A five-figure investment has been made in Coventry College’s science facilities to attract and hone the next generation of talent.
Around £70,000 has funded state-of-the-art equipment to support students who are studying one of the college’s science-related BTEC or Access to Higher Education courses.
Coventry College is one of only a few further education institutions to boast a cutting-edge Compact FT-IR Spectrophotometer, which can analyse samples in 40 seconds to identify contents using infra-red technology, and is widely used for testing pharmaceuticals, forensics, food and other substances.
Coventry College is also the first education provider to have MiniOne Systems - which is a portable piece of innovative equipment that enables students to be taught in finer details about the workings of DNA, as well as concepts that can be applied to various areas of science.
More than 100 pieces of bluetooth data logging equipment have been funded – enabling students to record data relating to breathing, respiration, heart rates and temperatures digitally onto mobile devices.
Medical Testing equipment including ultrasound machines, electrocardiogram and vein scanners have also been purchased, so that students can create their own understanding of how it works and build upon the knowledge learned in theory lessons.
Science and Public Services students will also be able to benefit from a digital finger print scanner, and simulate in lessons how modern-day biometric identification is carried out by police forces.
Other areas set to access the equipment include BTEC Level 2 and Level 3 courses in Applied Science, Forensic and Criminal Investigation, and Biomedical Science as well as Access to Higher Education courses in Health, Core Science, Environmental Science and Forensic Science.
Kayleigh Vice, Lecturer in Forensic Science at Coventry College, played a key role in bidding for the funding for the College’s science department, which has 589 students based at the College’s Henley Road campus.
She said: “This is a game-changing investment not just for the College’s ability to attract further talent, but for our students too, who will be using industry-leading equipment that will help them to be one step ahead of competition when studying at university and going for a job in the real world.
“Technology has transformed the way that various science and engineering sectors are working, and this equipment ensures that Coventry College’s courses reflect this.
“The science, technology, engineering and manufacturing sectors are progressive and fast-growing, and it’s fantastic that we now have equipment that makes us ideally-placed to nurture the next generation of science professionals.”
Carol Thomas, Principal and CEO at Coventry College, added: “This investment underlines the College’s commitment to equipping our students with the transferable skills and knowledge that industry needs.
“The science, technology, engineering and manufacturing sectors are vital to the wider UK economy and are always evolving, and we are proud to be playing our part in training up their future workforces.
“We are actively encouraging people - particularly school leavers - to find out more about the range of courses we offer, and how we can help them to stand out in what is going to be a competitive job market over the coming years because of the redundancies caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.”
For more information about Coventry College’s full range of courses, and to apply, visit www.coventrycollege.ac.uk