An investor in the future of engineering, Sonardyne International Ltd. has recently made a substantial donation to the Alton College Fundraising Appeal for a new Engineering and Design Technology Centre. The donation brings forward the Centre’s building completion date to Autumn 2013 and will enable the college to teach 310 students a year, inspiring young people to choose Engineering and Design Technology careers for years to come.

Located close to Sonardyne’s UK manufacturing headquarters, Alton College attracts aspiring engineers from across Southern England, providing them with the opportunities and support to achieve their full potential. With application numbers for Engineering and Design Technology courses doubling over recent years, the over-subscribed course has been restricted by its current facilities. To rectify this, the college launched a fundraising appeal, hoping to generate the required £2.46 million for the design and build of the new centre. Once complete, the centre will house two well-equipped workshops for wood, metals and plastics; facilities for turning, welding and casting; Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) facilities; two technology laboratories and a technician work station and secure tool store.

[blockquote author=” Jane Machell, Alton College Principal”]“The College is enormously grateful to Sonardyne International Ltd for its huge generosity which has enabled the building works to be completed. We are also extremely grateful to a range of other donors for their contributions. We are now confident that with the help of the public, other companies and individuals, we will reach our target of £500,000 to fully equip the new Centre.”[/blockquote]

For more information about the Alton College Fundraising Appeal, please contact Karen Betancourt-Jess on +44 (0)1420 592200.