Aerospace firm Moog selects City of Wolverhampton College for apprenticeship programme

WOLVERHAMPTON-based aerospace firm Moog has selected City of Wolverhampton College to help train its next generation of aeronautical engineers.

The college will deliver a specialised apprenticeship programme to new staff at the firm, which is based on the i54 development outside the city.

The first group of six students will begin their aerospace engineering apprenticeships in September. Unlike other apprenticeships, where students start working on the job immediately, the college has created a specialist programme which will see the group spend their first year at the college’s Paget Road campus. They will then move on to Moog’s site at i54 to continue their training.

Under the scheme apprentices will develop a range of skills – depending on the area they wish to specialise in – including developing and testing of primary and secondary flight control systems, researching ways to make fuel-efficient units, carrying out ground- and flight-testing programs on prototypes, and manufacturing and assembling aircraft components; as well as understanding materials and heat treatment processes, key maintenance of machines and facilities, data analysis and computer-aided design.

Georgina Parker, director of employment skills and commercial delivery at the college, said: “This bespoke training which includes an intensive year in college, will give the apprentices a broad range of knowledge and enable them to hit the ground running when they start at Moog.”

Mark Robertson, principal of the college, said: “It is a marvellous accolade for the college to have been selected by an internationally renowned company such as Moog to deliver training, and it really does highlight the growing reputation of the college within the Midlands.

“Our engineering department already works very closely with a huge number of businesses, offering around 160 apprenticeships in the sector. As the manufacturing industry continues to grow within the region we look forward to building partnerships with more and more employers, giving more local people the skills businesses are looking for.”

Peter Broadhead, site leader for Moog Wolverhampton Operations, said: “I’m proud to say Moog is looking to invest in our local community and long term future within the area by re-introducing the apprenticeship scheme at our Wolverhampton facility.

“This is a great sign that we are strengthening the business and developing highly skilled, new talent is integral to this. We’re looking for ambitious, enthusiastic people who are keen to develop a long term engineering career whilst working with the aerospace industries very best people.”