Power Industry Academy set to regenerate Rugby

A NEW multi-million pound centre to train technicians for the next generation of power stations is up and running in Warwickshire.

The Power Industry Academy – part of the new £33m Warwickshire College Rugby centre – is closely linked to industry leaders Alstom, Converteam, Doosan Babcock and Quartzelec.

The pioneering new facility, which is home to one of the college’s faculties of engineering, was funded with £6.2m from regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

Designed in partnership with industry experts, the academy provides training and resources for the energy manufacturing supply chain and will include a focus on turbines and carbon friendly power generation.

Peter Husband, Vice Principal for Engineering, said: “The college now has a fantastic, unique facility, designed with industry experts, which will equip the power generation manufacturing industry for the future.”

Phil Roberts, Partnerships Director at AWM, said: “Not only will the academy be a fantastic addition to the regeneration of Rugby, it will also have a huge impact on the future of environmental technologies.

“The new generation of power stations and future green power sources will require particular skills and Warwickshire College is putting Rugby right at the very front of these opportunities.”

Colin Grimes, Regional Account Manager for the Midlands Region for the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the body which works with employers on training in the power industry, said: “We are delighted that the college construction is complete and look forward to working together to develop the training needs of all stakeholders within our industry.”

Working with its business partners, the college is providing key equipment which would only normally be available for training and skills development when a power generation facility is taken ‘off-line’.  By providing this equipment in a real life environment, employees can be trained to meet the skills levels they require without expensive downtime.

The academy’s equipment includes: a full size industrial generator, gantry crane with 10 tonne capacity, generator drive equipment, modern welding equipment, milling machines, lathes and non-destruct testing equipment.

Training programmes are tailored to suit the needs of individual students and businesses.