Pembrokeshire College partners with Shell and Promethean for sustainability and technical training

Pembrokeshire College in southwest Wales is Pembrokeshire county’s largest further education and training provider, serving approximately 5,000 students. Courses exploring engineering, energy, environment, computing, and more give hands-on, practical instruction for job training and life skills.

The college’s newly upgraded Energy Transition Skills Hub, funded and sponsored by Shell UK, focuses on technical training in energy systems and sustainability, but the college’s outdated projectors and old-school whiteboards made it difficult for tutors to maximize engagement due to visibility and glare issues, frequent maintenance demands, and overall lack of interactivity.

ActivPanel in action

Having used legacy Promethean panels in the past, Trevor Tucker, IT services team leader at Pembrokeshire, was already impressed with the longevity of the products. In early 2023, Trevor and Promethean began a phased implementation of 108 ActivPanel displays, including ActivPanel 9 and ActivPanel 10 and Promethean ActivSuite^™ software across the hub and all other teaching spaces.

According to Trevor, the updated area was once a smelly gym. Transformed for immersive learning, it now features six interconnected ActivPanel devices that provide hands-on training in refinery operations and renewable energy. The panels are paired with high-performance PCs and software, allowing users to simulate and diagnose in real time.

“It’s easier for staff to touch the screen when they’re doing a talk rather than going back to a PC,” Trevor said. “We never get staff phoning up about issues with them. With the projectors, it could be every day. “

With these, we never have a problem, so it saves us a huge amount of work.

Trevor Tucker, IT services team leader

Sustainable and easy to use

As a member of the Pembrokeshire team for 19 years, Trevor prioritises standardised, sustainable technology that’s ready for the future, reliable, and energy efficient. “We always look at sustainability when we purchase,” he said. “The power usage on these compared to the projectors, it’s a no-brainer really. With (the ActivPanel displays), we can set a timer, and they go off on their own.”

The college also reduced paper usage through increased adoption of online shared files. “With so many people now using OneDrive, sharing documents makes it so much easier,” he said. The printing has gone down.”

Future forward

The flexibility of the ActivPanel setup allows for future integration of solar and wind energy modules, ensuring the hub remains at the forefront of renewable energy education. “It’s a big improvement over what we had before,” said Trevor.

With further expansion planned, including new classrooms and boardrooms, Pembrokeshire College expects to continue its partnership with Promethean.

“We’d used Promethean before and found them incredibly reliable. When we looked at alternatives, we just didn’t see the same interactivity or value,” he said.

From orientation sessions to ongoing training and responsive support, Promethean provided a full wraparound service that gave the college confidence in their investment.

The support side of it has been fantastic. It’s a well-rounded package. We don’t have any issues. We wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Trevor Tucker, IT services team leader

 

Are you interested in an ActivPanel to help increase engagement and collaboration for your college or university? Learn more and request a demo today.