The Bedford College group, the parent of Central Bedfordshire College has its first cohort of 13 engineering apprentices starting on the 7th of February at its Leighton Buzzard campus during apprenticeship week. They are predominantly on advanced apprenticeships brackets level three across mechanical electrical and machining pathways. There are a further two Engineering Employers Federations on apprentice and opted to have a workplace delivery model, making 15 new engineering apprentices in Leighton Buzzard. The next intake starts in May and total numbers of Engineering apprentices are expected to be at least 37 this academic year.
South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous has been campaigning for greater apprenticeship and college based provision within Leighton Buzzard for many years, following the building of the Leighton Buzzard campus of Central Bedfordshire College on Chartmoor Road.
Reacting to the news Andrew said,
"For far too long college students and apprentices have had to travel away from Leighton Buzzard to get the training they need. We need hundreds of thousands more engineers in our country and I'm absolutely delighted that we now have an excellent engineering provision in the town which people can get to easily. Central Bedfordshire College has been providing engineering apprentices for Dunstable and Houghton Regis for many years, but now all parts of our area are being properly served. I look forward to following the progress of the students and wish them all the best in their studies and careers."