ENGINEERING students at Alton College played host last week to Staff Sergeant Paul Birkbeck and Lance Corporal Alex Moorcroft from the Abingdon regimental Army bicycle race team in Oxfordshire.

Following the introduction of the bicycle maintenance module to the BTEC Level 2 engineering course last year, this is the second time Army personnel have visited The Sonardyne Centre to help students with their bike maintenance checks.

The students brought in bikes that needed attention and then worked alongside the race team engineers on puncture repairs, checking treads and fixing gear mechanisms.

They will continue working on maintaining good levels of care on the bikes over the next 15 weeks of the course, focusing on the essential checks of tyres, brakes and gears.

Engineering teacher Hilary Hill said: “It is great to welcome back Staff Sergeant Birkbeck and Lance Corporal Moorcroft after the success of last year’s workshop.

“This visit serves to strengthen our links with the Army and gives the students the opportunity to see what they are learning put into everyday practice.

“The students are learning plenty of new techniques and skills that they can use outside of college.’”

To find out more about studying engineering at Alton College, visit altoncollege.ac.uk.