[A] leading figure in Barrow’s recent history praised the ‘impressive facilities’ at Furness College as he returned for his first tour.
Lord Hutton, who now works for the nuclear industry, was MP for Barrow and Furness from 1992 until 2010 during which time the plan for the new Channelside campus was unveiled. He also carries the title Baron Hutton of Furness in the House of Lords.
Taking his first tour of the £47million campus he saw the engineering workshops, spoke to tutors and found out more about the programmes on offer.
“I am impressed by the college building and the facilities,” he said. “This is my first visit to the new site and it is absolutely incredible. It is evidence of our interest in education and training engineers for the future of the economy.
“It is a big statement of confidence in the future this town – it is tremendous.”
Director of Curriculum for Technical and Adult Learning Steve McAloone led Lord Hutton on a tour of the Channelside campus showing him the engineering workshops including construction, carpentry and joinery and craft engineering.
“He was very impressed with the facilities we have here and what we have to offer to train the future workforce,” he said.
“He was particularly interested in how we support progression into the higher skills roles and our higher education offer, asking about the number of students we have here on higher and degree programmes.”
Principal and Chief Executive Andrew Wren said: “We are delighted that Lord Hutton took the time to visit our state-of-the-art campus and the special interest he showed in the journey that students make when they are with us.”
