ENGINEERING students at Wiltshire College & University Centre were given an insight into the world of industry when they visited a leading printworks.

First year Engineering and Manufacturing T-Level students from Chippenham spent half a day at CPI Antony Rowe in Melksham to see how the company, which produces more than 450 million books, journals, catalogues and directories for customers all over the world, operates.

Lecturer Duncan Peel said the visit gave students to chance to see, in action, many of the topics they’ve been learning about. “It was a good opportunity for them to go and see how mass-produced products are manufactured and watch the processes in action,” he said.

“We have been talking about many of the things they got to see, like mechatronics, lean manufacturing and health and safety at work. It really reinforces the learning when they can see some of the complex machinery they have at CPI and they can see why health and safety is so important.”

Charlie Farmahan, 16, from Chippenham, was impressed by the range of machinery in use. “It’s amazing how much is in this industry and how much it changes, they had really old machines in there, all the way through to like very modern stuff,” he said.

“It’s crazy how much they print, I’ve probably got books at home that are printed by them.”

James Bennett, 16, of Westbury, was amazed by the work that goes into printing books. “At home you pick up a book, take it for granted, you don’t realise how much effort goes into it,” he said. “One thing they mentioned, which I never knew, is they don’t cut down trees specifically to make the books, they use off cuts of wood, which is really good.”

As part of their T-level course the students will spend 315 hours on placements in industry and Duncan said for many this was their first time in such a high-tech environment. “When you think a few months ago they were doing their GCSEs, this was a completely new experience for most of them.

“It’s really important that they get a feel for what the environment is like and it will stand them in good stead.”

He said the students enjoyed the experience. “It was a great visit and the students had lots of questions,” he said. “We’re very grateful to CPI Antony Rowe for inviting us in and allowing the students to see their operation at first hand. They came away with a much better understanding of why we’ve been discussing the topics we’ve covered so far.”

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