£2.8m manufacturing institute set to create thousands of apprenticeships

NEARLY 2,500 apprenticeships could be created in the West Midlands through a new £2.8m project that will see employers take the lead in developing workforce skills.
 
The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, which covers Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, is in the final stages of negotiations with three successful bidders to develop Advanced Manufacturing Hubs – regional training centres which would support employers in parts of the region where there is limited access to workforce training.
 
The largest contract, at more than £1.9m, is a project led by four partners, Shropshire-based engineering group Grainger & Worrall, car restoration business Classic Motor Cars, Salop Design & Engineering and training specialist In-Comm Training.
 
The partnership paves the way for the Marches Institute of Manufacturing and Technology, which will deliver training in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury and aims to create 1,913 apprenticeships.
 
It would also support 416 businesses and nearly 1,000 bite-sized training courses.

The key priority sectors within the Marches LEP area are:
•    Advanced manufacturing and engineering – which account for more than 14% of all employment within the LEP area
•    Agri-food – which in 2011 was worth more than £1.9bn to the region and employed at least 9,000 people
•    Automotive – which employs 3,400 people and benefits from the availability of quality sites
•    Security and defence – which can claim at least 200 businesses in Herefordshire alone and across the region, at least 2,600 people are employed in this sector.  The Marches also boasts the UK’s only defence and security Enterprise Zone
 
Graham Wynn, chairman of the Marches LEP, said: “Additional capital investment is needed to support the manufacturing sector to develop their skills base, equipping them to maximise future opportunities.
 
“I am delighted that manufacturing employers have responded to our call for them to take the lead in developing how the skills needs of their workforce can be addressed.
 
“As a result, we are in the final throes of negotiations to award three contracts to consortiums with numerous private sector employers.”
 
The first hub to be developed will be at a site in Bridgnorth, and the LEP expects to announce details of the other two training hubs in the next few weeks.
 
Matthew Snelson, director at Grainger and Worrall, said: “Our objective is to develop engineers of the future, both as apprentices and in our existing workforces. The Institute will support companies large and small across our region, to become more productive, more competitive, and support sustainable growth.”
 
The training centres are scheduled to open in 2017. Funding for the project was awarded to the LEP through its Growth Deal for capital skills projects.
 
Gareth Jones, managing director at In-Comm Training, said the new Institute would be a major step forward for skills provision in the area and give employers much-needed access to specialist training and state-of-the-art facilities.

“Industry, and the automotive sector in particular, has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years and we need to ensure we are taking action now to upskill existing members of staff and, importantly, create a pipeline of new engineers to support ambitious expansion plans both at OEM level and across the supply chain,” he said.

“We want to create an academy that is a focal point locally, regionally and nationally. It’s time that we reshored provision back to Shropshire and gave firms access to the best employee development opportunities on their doorstep.”