Manufacturing skills centre looks to recruit first apprentices
A £3m manufacturing training centre in the West Midlands is looking to recruit 68 apprentices for places on its inaugural course.
The Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT) is being led by employers Grainger & Worrall, Classic Motor Cars, Salop Design & Engineering and training specialist In-Comm.
Located on The Stanmore Industrial Estate in Bridgnorth, the MCMT will house dedicated fabrication, foundry, lathe, metrology, milling, robotics and vehicle trimming sections, as well as a specialist CNC Zone and spray booth/mixing capabilities.
There will also be an auditorium lecture theatre, bespoke learning environments, five vehicle ramps and a rolling road test facility.
The 65,000 sq ft facility is designed to ensure apprentices are industry-ready when they graduate from the course.
The centre, which is staging an open day tomorrow (Friday) to showcase its facilities to potential apprentices, has tasked itself with the goal of supporting 2,020 students by 2020.
Visitors will be taken on a virtual tour of the different technology zones and get a chance to meet key members of the team.
Available courses range from maintenance engineering, business improvement and welding, to automotive, electrical, engineering design and mechanical engineering.
Matthew Snelson, managing director of MCMT, said:“We are continually told there is a skills shortage in the region and this is holding companies back…well now is the time to stop talking about it and actually embrace a bold and ambitious vision to bridge that gap.
“The summer event will see us throw open our doors so people can see how construction and the fit-out is going and we should be able to unveil the striking frontage of the training school.
“A lot of employers are already backing the MCMT and a large number of apprenticeship places currently available will be linked to companies so you have ready-made jobs.”
The MCMT received £1.9m of Government Growth Deal funding via the Marches LEP to bring the training concept to reality. The remaoning £1.1m of private funding has already been pledged.
Pictured at the launch of the centre are, from left: Matthew Snelson (MCMT), Chris Greenough (Salop Design & Engineering), Graham Wynn (Marches LEP), Peter Neumark (Classic Motor Cars), Bekki Phillips and Gareth Jones (both In-Comm Training).
