New WMG Academy primed to combat manufacturing skills shortage

THE collaborative approach designed to combat the West Midlands’ escalating skills gap has been highlighted with the official launch of the region’s latest engineering academy.

The new WMG Academy for Young Engineers, based in Chelmsley Wood, opens to its first intake of students in September.

It is the second WMG Academy to open in the region following the success of the pilot academy in Coventry.

The academy will train hundreds of young engineers and equip them with the skills industry needs in order to sustain the future of the important manufacturing sector.

It has already attracted some high profile business partnerships with firms including Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Balfour Beatty all participating.

The launch comes as a new report highlights the growing need to develop new skills (see below).

Among those first to see the facilities was Cllr Bob Sleigh, leader of Solihull Borough Council and head of the newly-created West Midlands Combined Authority.

He said: “Fresh off the back of the launch of The West Midlands Combined Authority’s Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), it is fantastic to see the WMG Academy nearing completion.

“The SEP sets the blueprint for how the area’s economy will transform over the next 20 years and the academy will have a pivotal role to play in creating the young engineers of the future and maintaining the area’s eminence in automotive and high value engineering.”

Joining him and the industry representatives were, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, chairman of WMG, Kate Tague, Executive Principal of WMG Academy Trust and Stewart Tait, Principal of WMG Academy Solihull.

Prof Bhattacharyya, the driving force behind the UTC at Warwick, said the academy was urgently needed to address the shortage of skills among young people.

“In engineering alone we need 150,000 new engineers and apprentices every year to fill the skills gap,” he said.

“The WMG Academy for Young Engineers presents a fantastic opportunity for young people to get a head start on the road to developing those skills. In this area of the West Midlands there are businesses that are in need of the skills which students from the academy can provide.”

Mr Tait added the academy would concentrate on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, as well as the new technology and ideas industry was developing.

“Our vision is ‘business like and business led’ and for our students to be inspired by the relevance and challenge of our curriculum which includes the solving of real life industrial problems posed by our business partners,” he said.

The WMG Academy is one of 30 University Technical Colleges government-funded schools in the UK. They will train 14-19-year-olds in science, engineering and technology while they gain traditional qualifications such as GCSEs, A Levels and BTECs. The training is supported by input from local businesses and universities.

The WMG Academy is currently taking applications for students wishing to enrol for the September intake.

The launch comes as a new report concludes that the skills shortage is currently triggering widespread concern for the engineering sector’s long-term future.

The report, Engineering UK – The State of Engineering 2016, highlights the dramatic gap between the supply and demand for people with engineering skills.

Birmingham-based Andrew Pettingill, managing director of recruitment company Meridian Business Support’s Industrial, Office & Professional operation, said illustrated that the number of engineering and technology graduates needed to double if the engineering sector was to continue to drive productivity in the UK.
 
“Many more people need to be trained in engineering if we are not to be left behind by countries like South Korea and Germany,” he said.  
 
“The situation in the Midlands mirrors the national picture – we have some tremendous vacancies in the engineering sector, but the number of skilled engineers is dramatically outweighed by the number of quality vacancies.
 
“The UK needs to produce 69,000 more engineers than it is currently producing just to meet industry demand.”
 
Mr Pettingill said all those with an interest in UK engineering had to commit to greater collaboration and partnership.
 
“Without the development of an appropriate skilled pool of talent vital infrastructure projects in the transport and energy sectors will potentially be unable to be completed,” he added.
 
“We must prioritise science and technology subjects and make engineering more attractive to students in order to significantly increase the numbers of engineering graduates entering the market. Without them our region and the UK’s proud engineering heritage is under threat.”
 
Pictured at the launch of the academy are, from left: Cllr Bob Sleigh, Omeah Hancox, Year 10 student at WMG Academy in Coventry, Kate Tague, Joseph Benjamin, Year 13 student at WMG Academy, Coventry, and Stewart Tait.