New £2m manufacturing training centre officially opened

A STATE-of-the-art training centre that will train the engineers and manufacturers of the future was unveiled in Birmingham yesterday.

The £2m investment by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, has been purpose-built in Birmingham to offer apprentices the opportunity to train in world-class facilities replicating a real manufacturing environment.

The centre will train around 250 apprentices a year in a variety of vital skills, including milling, CNC machinery, welding and fabrication. The move is designed to help secure the future of British manufacturing.

As well as apprentices and young people, the new centre will also provide development training for experienced employees, ensuring that they are equipped with the right skills for the future demands of modern engineering and manufacturing. This will, in turn, help tackle the increasing skills challenges of an ageing workforce.

The centre has been given the backing of local MP, Khalid Mahmood, who, alongside EEF’s CEO, Terry Scuoler, was on hand yesterday to officially declare the centre open.

Mahmood, a former engineer himself, expressed his support for the centre and the vital role the facilities will play in training new engineering and manufacturing talent, as well as contributing to the ongoing recovery of the UK economy.

Scuoler said: “Young people are the future of manufacturing – their skills and talents are the lifeblood that allows British businesses to develop and grow. 

Apprenticeships not only fill this gap, but they also offer young people an opportunity to kick-start an exciting and rewarding career, which is great news all round for the British economy.

“I am delighted that EEF can significantly contribute to training this pool of future talent by offering these new, first-rate facilities.”