Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) was proud to officially open its brand-new Construction & Civil Engineering and Motorsport facilities recently, two years after they were destroyed in a terrifying blaze.

In the early hours of 18 February 2021, a huge fire broke out in the Motorsport workshops, devastating the building which was also home to the College’s plumbing and electrical teaching facilities and staff rooms. More than 15 fire crews from across Somerset worked tirelessly to control and put the fire out without causing further damage to the Bridgwater campus.

BTC was delighted to welcome former student, Owen Cheffey, to officially open the building. Owen completed his Public Services studies at BTC in 2018, and little did he know that his first major incident as a Firefighter would be back at the College three years later.

The new Construction & Civil Engineering building, that sits on the same footprint as the old building, is a purpose-built training facility designed to meet the increasing local and regional skills demand in the construction industries. Built with the support of Hartnell Taylor Cook Project Management and CTS Construction, it maximises the available space and offers an open learning environment to support the delivery of training and assessment. Alongside the new plumbing and electrical workshops, there are brand new IT suites and state-of-the-art equipment including gas training facilities and air source heat pump technology.

The building will support hundreds of learners each year on training programmes that include Traineeships, Apprenticeships, City & Guilds qualifications and full-time vocational courses. Find out more about Construction at BTC at www.btc.ac.uk, or by calling 01278 655004 or emailing CSIC@btc.ac.uk.