When Roger Page was last at the college The Beatles were just a fledgling band trying to make a name for themselves.

A lot has changed since his 15 year old self began a Junior Engineers course here in 1960, and Roger has gone on to have a long and distinguished career in the aviation industry.

He has provided the engineering and technical expertise to support the establishment of three major airlines, restructured five others and held senior positions with many more.

Now 80, he decided to visit us recently to share his remarkable story with our current crop of engineering apprentices and students.

Revisiting great college memories

He was welcomed by Principal Kevin O’Hare, engineering course leaders and apprenticeship assessors, who showed him around our facilities.

Roger said: “I contacted Kevin to see if I could visit the college, at the good age of 80, to rekindle memories of what I consider a great period of my life.

“I have been lucky and have had what I would consider an interesting life, more in reality a vocation. And  I wanted to introduce myself as a person who was not an exceptional student by any means.

“The facilities at the college today are very much in accord with the expectations of what is now needed to promote the skills of young people.

“In my day, when it was Keighley Technical College and School of Art, it was also good for its time. We also used the Mechanics’ Institute for additional lessons such as photography and vehicle technology, as well as metal work.”

Inspiring the next generation

Roger, who secured an apprenticeship at Rolls Royce Aero Engine Division Barnoldswick after his year in Keighley, enjoyed speaking to some of our engineering apprentices who are working with local firms.

Principal Kevin said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Roger, who has gone on to have such an illustrious career since studying at the college all those years ago, and show him around our engineering facilities.

“It was truly inspirational for our engineering apprentices and students to meet him and hear about his success, which shows just what is possible.

“Roger has done some amazing things in engineering, particularly in connection with SpiceJet India, so to hear from someone who has ‘walked the walk’ was really something special.

“Such visits play a key role in motivating our learners and we would be delighted to welcome him back any time.”

As an Airline Facilitator in technical support and engineering, Roger racked up a long list of impressive achievements over his career and travelled to 85 countries. Reflecting on his role, he said: “It was all about creating teams, setting up processes, and procedures, acquiring staff and aircraft.”

Building work on our brand-new manufacturing and engineering hub has been completed.

The project is part of the wider, £12 million creation of Providence Park, a new industrial site being built on the corner of Dalton Lane and Bradford Road.

Providence Park is being part-funded, to the tune of £6.5 million, through the Government’s Keighley Towns Fund – and £3 million of that was used to produce Keighley College Engineering Hub.

The facility has been designed to take the training of local apprentices and students to the next level, so it can meet the rapidly evolving skills needs of local employers.

We are now busy kitting out the building with cutting-edge equipment – including a future technologies lab and engineering workshop – ahead of welcoming the first students in September.

Building on the district’s proud heritage

Principal Kevin O’Hare said: “This is a major milestone for the college, Providence Park and Keighley – and could be a real game-changer for our district and its economy.

“We are privileged to be based in an industrial heartland that continues to build on its proud history, with many of our employers forging ahead into exciting new areas of manufacturing, engineering and technology, including robotics.

“For those businesses to flourish, though, they need a steady stream of apprentices and students who have industry experience and the up-to-date skills needed to join and strengthen their workforce.

“That’s exactly what the engineering hub has been created to help us deliver – and we’ll be strengthening our already deep bonds with the district’s businesses as we develop our offering there, and work together on apprenticeships along with industry placements for our vocational students.

“We can’t wait to show employers, and our learners, around these cutting-edge new facilities which we are delighted to be opening this year, as the college celebrates its 200th anniversary.”

Employment and skills boost

Bradford Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, was keen to point out the wider benefits.

He said: “Alongside the new state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering hub, Providence Place is also home to five new buildings housing 23 industrial units. We expect about 100 jobs will be created in total across the whole site.

“Keighley has always had a proud manufacturing and engineering heritage. Its Engineering Hub will enable local people to learn highly-specialised skills and create employment opportunities for the future.”

An incredible opportunity

Keighley Towns Fund Chair, Tim Rogers added: “The creation of the Engineering Hub, in partnership with Keighley College, represents an incredible skills and training opportunity for the town.

“We are proud of what is being achieved at Providence Park, which is a really exciting commercial development for Keighley, and the opportunities it will create for generations to come.”

The hub will be able to train up to 120 students or apprentices, plus staff, at any one time. The building’s lower floor will include a fully kitted-out engineering workshop, complete with lathes and milling machines.

The upper level, meanwhile, will have a future technologies lab fitted out with a laser cutter, printing machines and testing equipment, along with two IT rooms and a teaching space.

Students from Keighley College have achieved six manufacturing industry accolades as part of the Milner Awards.

Sponsored by Keighley Training Consortium, the annual awards recognise the achievements of first year apprentices on the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) programme at the college.

Three apprentices have been selected to receive the main awards: Outstanding Apprentice, Academic Achievement and Skills Achievement, and have been given a cash prize in recognition of their accomplishments. Three additional students have received special recognition awards. 

William Jowitt, director of Keighley Training Consortium and member of the supervisory board of the AME, said: “Apprentices are one of the key engines of economic growth; each year we see ambitious learners strive for excellence through the AME programme. 

“The collaborative approach we’ve seen among apprentices and local employers has been remarkable, clearly demonstrating the value of apprenticeships. These winners, who studied the programme in 2019, have shown exceptional skill development and admirable dedication.”

This year’s Milner Awards took place at Keighley College. Attending the ceremony were the apprenticeship employers, including Produmax and CarnaudMetalbox Engineering and winners Toby Woodhead, Ben Bott, Max Weatherhead, Gabby Lloyd and Suraj Mistry.

Ronnie Magee, Deputy Head of Technology at Keighley College, commented: “We’re extremely proud of our apprentices’ achievements. They’ve gained valuable experience while demonstrating impressive commitment to learning and development. These awards are an amazing opportunity to show how important working together with local employers is for the community.”

The yearly awards were formed in 2015 as the AME programme launched at college. The AME board is part of a district-wide initiative in partnership with the local council and the Careers and Technical Education partnership. The programme is designed to inspire young people to work within the industry, enabling them to obtain the skills needed for employment.

Ben Bott, who won the Outstanding Apprentice Award, added: “I feel incredibly proud to receive such a prestigious award. My mechanical engineering apprenticeship at Produmax has been a pivotal point in my learning and development, equipping me with the technical skills needed to flourish in my career. I have spent the prize money on a new computer in order to complete my college work.”

Toby Woodhead, Keighley College student who works as an apprentice at CarnaudMetalbox, added: “It’s an honour to receive the Practical Workshop Skills Award. I was recognised for the hands-on work I did in the college workshop, such as milling and assembly jobs, as well as the machine building I do as part of my apprenticeship.”

Two apprentices from Keighley College are supporting a local engineering company in manufacturing parts for the Ventilator Challenge.

Keighley-based Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd specialise in computer numerical control mill and turned parts. Due to the recent pandemic, there has been an increased demand for ventilators across the care sector. As a result, the firm has joined the VentilatorChallenegeUK consortium; a collection of businesses who have come together to produce medical ventilators.

Working closely with Keighley College, two students on the Level 3 Advanced Engineering Apprenticeship have been gaining experience at the firm. Daniel Fuller has been on his apprenticeship since August 2018, enabling him to develop valuable engineering knowledge and experience. Samuel Steventon has been an apprentice at Keighley College since January 2019 and transferred to Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd in recently March, following the closure of a local company.

Both apprentices have been supporting the production of ventilator parts, including setting tooling and monitoring the performance and consistency of the two parts.

Lynda Laybourne, sales and finance director at Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd, said: “Daniel and Samuel have been instrumental in the production of ventilator components. As part of the Ventilator Challenge, the team has produced a fantastic 8,000 parts within a week. We’ve been working tirelessly around the clock to make this happen; the apprentices’ work ethic is admirable and we’re incredibly proud that they can help us fight against the virus.”

Ronnie Magee, deputy head of Keighley College, said “Our apprenticeships are extremely valuable and this is shown through the masses of practical skills and knowledge developed during their time at great local firms. Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd are committed to its apprentices and has ensured Daniel and Samuel have stayed working during these challenging times to help manufacture and inspect the high value ventilator parts.”

Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd have produced 8,000 brass turned parts and 4,000 plastic mill parts as part of The Ventilator Challenge and will be distributed to hospitals across the country.

Students from Keighley College have achieved six manufacturing industry accolades as part of the Milner Awards.

Sponsored by Keighley Training Consortium, the annual awards recognise the achievements of first year apprentices on the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) programme at the college.

Three apprentices have been selected to receive the main awards: Outstanding Apprentice, Academic Achievement and Skills Achievement, and have been given a cash prize in recognition of their accomplishments. Three additional students have received special recognition awards. 

William Jowitt, director of Keighley Training Consortium and member of the supervisory board of the AME, said: “Apprentices are one of the key engines of economic growth; each year we see ambitious learners strive for excellence through the AME programme. 

“The collaborative approach we’ve seen among apprentices and local employers has been remarkable, clearly demonstrating the value of apprenticeships. These winners, who studied the programme in 2019, have shown exceptional skill development and admirable dedication.”

This year’s Milner Awards took place at Keighley College. Attending the ceremony were the apprenticeship employers, including Produmax and CarnaudMetalbox Engineering and winners Toby Woodhead, Ben Bott, Max Weatherhead, Gabby Lloyd and Suraj Mistry.

Ronnie Magee, Deputy Head of Technology at Keighley College, commented: “We’re extremely proud of our apprentices’ achievements. They’ve gained valuable experience while demonstrating impressive commitment to learning and development. These awards are an amazing opportunity to show how important working together with local employers is for the community.”

The yearly awards were formed in 2015 as the AME programme launched at college. The AME board is part of a district-wide initiative in partnership with the local council and the Careers and Technical Education partnership. The programme is designed to inspire young people to work within the industry, enabling them to obtain the skills needed for employment.

Ben Bott, who won the Outstanding Apprentice Award, added: “I feel incredibly proud to receive such a prestigious award. My mechanical engineering apprenticeship at Produmax has been a pivotal point in my learning and development, equipping me with the technical skills needed to flourish in my career. I have spent the prize money on a new computer in order to complete my college work.”

Toby Woodhead, Keighley College student who works as an apprentice at CarnaudMetalbox, added: “It’s an honour to receive the Practical Workshop Skills Award. I was recognised for the hands-on work I did in the college workshop, such as milling and assembly jobs, as well as the machine building I do as part of my apprenticeship.”