Salford College Officially opening their Motor Vehicle Workshop

‘It’s been a long journey but we got here eventually,’ said Gary Taylor, Head of Construction and Building Engineering Services, at the official grand opening of the Salford College of Further Education Motor Vehicle Workshop.

The college’s motor vehicle studies provision was new for September 2017 at their City Skills Campus. After a long and sometimes bumpy ride, last month the brand new workshop, and home to the course, was ready for its launch.

Gary said: “This provision has been two years in the making, from planning, preparation and building works, to where we are now. Believe it or not but where we stand today was called ‘the cow shed’ not long ago. It was in disrepair; it was cold, it was damp and wasn’t the best place to teach. So when we decided to look at motor vehicle we knew we had to transform this place, and to be honest it’s turned out to be our golden goose.

“It’s now a truly wonderful facility and we are excited to be moving forward with it.”

The grand opening, which took place alongside the college’s official open event, saw current students, staff, special guests and budding young mechanics gather to revel at the incredible new facilities.

Special guests ‘The Stig*’ and Roy Cavanagh MBE, from Seddon, were there to cut the ceremonial ribbon, with Roy sharing a few words in support of the new training facilities:

 “The motor vehicle workshop is a real, major plus for Salford as it’s vital that young people get proper training, and these facilities will help give them a real chance.

“The college is a vibrant part of the great City of Salford and this particular building shows that. It is quite amazing to see and a real credit to all the people who have worked on it.”

Roy, who Gary referred to as ‘a champion of training for young people’ has worked for Seddon for over 47 years and has an MBE for his hard work in construction. He is renowned for his efforts in campaigning for apprenticeships and training for young people across Salford.  

Gary supported Roy’s notion by saying: “This new provision will serve the youth of Salford and beyond for many years to come, and will hopefully be valuable in changing the lives of young people by opening up opportunities.”

Gary also thanked staff from the department for their work and the college’s Senior Leadership Team for their support on the project and helping to make it happen. 

He said: “It was a long journey, but it’s been magnificent”

(Left-right: Gary Taylor, Head of Curriculum, Michael Sheehan, Principal, ‘The Stig*’, Roy Cavanagh MBE, Kate Rogerson, Head of College)

Former Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist, Ella Shaw, who studied at FutureSkills at MediaCityUK, came down to entertain guests with her singing, putting on an incredibly beautiful performance. Guests were also treated to a ‘pit stop challenge’ by motor vehicle students and the Hospitality and Catering Department cooked up a themed cake for the occasion. On top of this, guests were invited to look around the facilities and check out the state-of-the-art tools and equipment that are now in place, thanks to the incredible industry links the department has established.  

B.P.A Service Centre in Leigh had one of their top of the range Honda Track Cars displayed at the event, complete with the official college logo, and the department also works in association with Nissan and Snap-on Tools.

Overall the event was a triumphant success!

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