Kevin Burke has been appointed by Preston College

Preston College has announced that Kevin Burke will be the head of division for its new £13 million iSTEM project.

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Mr Burke comes from a rich STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) background. His most recent role at STEMNET involved the co-ordination of STEM curriculum for primary and secondary schools and FE colleges.

At iSTEM (innovation and STEM) at Preston College, Mr Burke will manage the delivery of education programmes to give students the skills and experience required by industry.

The iSTEM Centre replicates real work environments and enables students to formulate ideas, test theories and present findings.

Mr Burke said: “I was instantly attracted to the college’s vision of educating young people in such a different way. Lots of education providers are building STEM Centres, but Preston’s College flipped the system on its head.

“First designing programmes around the Input, Process, Output model and only then developing and building the iSTEM Centre to ensure it met their needs and requirements to effectively deliver on this.

“People are far more interested in STEM than a decade ago and my number one goal is to drive Preston’s College forward to becoming the leading provider of STEM education in the north of England within the next three years.”

Preston College have been quick to welcome Burke to the team.

Dr Lis Smith, principal & CEX at Preston’s College, added: “Kevin’s STEM achievements, particularly in engineering, are exemplary and his passion for these skilled subjects and their application in the classroom and workplace shone through.

“Welcoming Kevin on board is a major coup for Preston’s College showing our determination to have both the best facilities and industry-experienced staff and will further transform our vision of delivering the most employable learners in Lancashire.”