Electronics doesn’t mean getting wires, circuit-boards and power supplies to work anymore, it now ventures into the worlds of robotics, software development and artificial intelligence.

The Seaton building at Truro College has had extensive redesigns and extensions to reflect this new technology. Since its first opening in 2012, twice as many students wanted to attend as was expected. One of the additions has been the new Electronics room, which was originally just high ceiling space at the top of an airy Engineering room on the floor below. Now a new floor has been put in to maximise teaching and learning space.

Student Marcus Vick from Indian Queens, previously from Treviglas School, is studying for A Levels in Electronics and Information Technology and AS qualifications in Computer Science and Geography. He said: “I like Electronics because the sessions are relaxed, and it’s a mix of practical work and learning technical things, and I like that mix.” Marcus is hoping to use his experiences to study Electronic Engineering at university.

Lecturer John Saxton explained that Electronics these days is not like it used to be, and now ventures into futuristic areas: “We’ve just been using software to program microcomputers—mini-computers on a chip. Programming and software development is part of Electronics too, which not a lot of people know. Every student here has their own work area with their own new oscilloscopes, power supplies, signal generators and computers for them to use, so it’s a good learning environment.

“It’s great that the new generation of electronic engineers are learning in such a new and modern environment. A lot of it is programming now, so we’re doing a lot of that, linking computers, electronics, artificial intelligence and neural networks.”

Image: Electronics

Caption: Electronics students studying in the new bespoke Electronics room at Truro College.