Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) was delighted to welcome members of the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) engineering team to the Taunton campus, where they met with students and staff from Automotive and Motorsport Engineering programmes.

The visit offered an exciting opportunity for students to engage with professionals at the forefront of advanced propulsion research and innovation. IAAPS team members – Dr Mike Bates (Head of Engineering), Greg Slee (Principal Engineer), and Simon Swan (Technical Services Manager) – delivered an insightful presentation about their cutting-edge facilities and projects, covering technologies such as hydrogen and electrified powertrains.

As part of their talk, the IAAPS engineers shared their own career journeys and offered valuable advice on pathways into technical and engineering roles, sparking lively discussion among students.

Vincent Maisey, Head of Automotive and Engineering at BTC, said,

It was a pleasure to have the IAAPS team visit today. Seeing our students participate so eagerly in discussions about propulsion technologies and future career options was brilliant. Partnerships like these give students a real insight into where their studies can take them and help them see the breadth of opportunities available in the industry.

Students were fully engaged throughout the session, asking questions ranging from the future of battery systems and alternative fuels to the wider engineering landscape. The visit forms part of BTC’s ongoing commitment to providing learners with meaningful employer encounters and real-world context for their learning.

Speaking after the visit, IAAPS Principal Engineer Greg Slee, said,

It was great to see so many students keen to learn more about what we do and to hear their questions about the industry. Supporting the next generation of engineers is hugely important, and it’s fantastic to be able to have these conversations – not just about propulsion technology, but about careers and opportunities in engineering more broadly.

BTC looks forward to continuing its relationship with IAAPS and exploring further opportunities to collaborate in inspiring the next generation of engineering talent.

For more information on Automotive, Engineering, and BTC’s multitude of educational offerings, please visit www.btc.ac.uk or get in touch with the Information & Advice team by emailing info@btc.ac.uk.