West Midlands failing youngsters on engineering skills says Chamber

THE West Midlands is failing young people by not doing enough to create engineering training on a consistent basis, business leaders in the Black Country have said.

The damning indictment was made by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce in response to news about the closure of the area’s University Technical College in Walsall after just four years.

In a further blow to academic facilities in the region, it has been revealed that one of the West Midlands’ largest colleges is set to axe 250 workers due to funding cuts and competition.

Responding to the UTC closure, Martin Dudley, chair of the Black Country chamber’s Skills Policy Group and managing director of Thomas Dudley, said: “We welcomed the UTC to Walsall as a source of supply for the manufacturing sector. Engineering skills are in short supply so this news is a bitter blow for students, parents and employers.

“We have been advocating for some time that we need young people to see engineering apprenticeships as a career opportunity that is equal to a university degree. This news proves that we have not yet created the local demand for engineering training on a sustainable basis, and business needs to be at the heart of this.”

The UTC said it had been forced to close as a result of a disappointing OFSTED inspection, low numbers of students and insufficient resources. The chamber had staged its own AGM at the college in the past and had supported the introduction of the specialist school.

Black Country chamber president Ninder Johal added: “Something is seriously amiss if we cannot attract sufficient students into this kind of school at a time when employers are crying out for young people with technical skills.

“We were hoping that the UTC would overcome the literacy and numeracy issues that face young people as they leave school. Our employers remain disappointed that our 16 year olds are unable to read or add up.

“Education is a serious issue and the chamber will be taking a lead to identify solutions to this problem.”  

Elsewhere, Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMC) principal Andrew Cleaves has blamed government funding cuts as the main reason for the college having to shed up to 250 jobs.

The college, originally formed by the merger of Matthew Boulton and Sutton Coldfield College and later adding Stourbridge College, said funding levels had been reduced a third and it was becoming increasing difficult to attract students in the numbers required due to competition from other sources.

It has informed staff of the news but has pledged student education will not be impacted. It is hoping is hoping to manage the redundancies on a voluntary basis.

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