Midland Metro expansion fast tracks student skills programme

An expansion of the Midland Metro network is offering unemployed people across the West Midlands the chance to improve their skills by taking part in a new work programme focussed on the light rail sector.

Working with local colleges, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), councils and other funding bodies, the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA) is supporting the design and delivery of the bespoke six-week Sector Based Work Academy (SBWA) in Light Rail.

The training programme offers unemployed candidates across the region aged 18 and over an opportunity to achieve accredited qualifications, develop personal skills and gain practical work experience.

The aim is to encourage candidates to consider careers in construction, engineering and light rail.

The pre-recruitment course also gives candidates a guaranteed interview for a variety of roles available at the MMA.

The participating colleges are:

•    Dudley College (Dudley and the Black Country)
•    City of Wolverhampton College (Wolverhampton)
•    Birmingham Metropolitan College (Birmingham North, Central, West)
•    Solihull College (Birmingham South, East)

Alejandro Moreno, Midland Metro Alliance Director, said: “With development in the region at an all-time high, it will have an impact on the availability of skilled and semi-skilled labour, so regional investment is vital to equip candidates with the relevant skill-sets to build long term careers and most importantly give them a choice for employment.”

Students in Wolverhampton kicked off the programme in March, with students at Birmingham Metropolitan College and Dudley College candidates following suit last month.

Solihull College launched its own programme earlier this month.

The MMA has been appointed to build a number of extensions to the region’s tram network over the coming decade by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which has made skills and productivity one of its key priorities alongside better public transport.

Phil Hewitt, Metro Programme Director for Transport for West Midlands, part of the WMCA, said: “The WMCA wants its infrastructure projects, such as these Metro extensions, to benefit and employ as many local people as possible but also wants to see that replicated for the many other schemes, both public and private, that will be built over the coming years.

“That’s why the WMCA recently launched its Skills and Productivity Commission which aims to equip people with the skills required by the employers of today and tomorrow. This scheme set up by the Midland Metro Alliance is exactly the sort of idea that will help develop those skills and build a reservoir of talent in the West Midlands which will support the region’s economy for many years to come.”

The MMA is currently recruiting for graduate placement opportunities as it looks to build a local talent bank for its in-house workforce.