Worcestershire must attract hi-tech businesses to ensure future prosperity

A £1.5m training centre in Redditch is set to equip hundreds of apprentices with the skills they will need to sustain Worcestershire’s economy.

The centre, known as the Brook Building, is designed to be a key factor in the county’s economic development by acting as a lure for new technology businesses.

The building, let by John Truslove on behalf of Howard S. Cooke & Co, will be operated by specialist training provider Midland Group Training Services.

MGTS has pumped £800,000 into the 16,500 sq ft facility, with the Worcestershire and Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnerships both investing £350,000.

The new facility was prioritised for funding because it meets the requirements of the Worcestershire’s 10-Year Strategic Economic Plan to ensure the long term prosperity of the county.

Gary Woodman, Executive Director of Worcestershire LEP, said: “The creation of a skills academy is great for Redditch and the rest of the county as it will provide local people with a clear career path as well as provide the essential skills required for businesses in the area.

“The Engineering Centre of Excellence will make a huge difference to skills in the region and I am sure MGTS will make this an absolute success.”

The centre will help train up to 200 apprentice engineers over the next four years but in order to retain their skills once they have graduated, the various parties have said top class facilities and firms need to be in place to support them.

“We need to have ‘top drawer’ premises in place which businesses of all kinds can move into quickly,” said Ben Truslove, of John Truslove.

“These companies typically require 2,500-10,000 sq ft high specification factory/office hybrid units, which are in extremely short supply.”

One hope is that the Redditch Gateway scheme, which is also backed by the Worcestershire LEP, will prove the catalyst for such facilities.

It is tasked with providing more than one million square feet of new office and industrial space, creating up to 1,500 jobs.

“The first phase of this scheme is being developed on Government-controlled land, so it is critical that this once-in-a generation opportunity is not missed,” said Mr Truslove.

“High-tech businesses will not wait, so, if suitable premises aren’t delivered in the right timescale, these businesses will have no choice but to go elsewhere.”

Redditch has been successful at attracting light engineering, manufacturing, logistics and service companies, but Mr Truslove said it was vital that the right offer could be made to new technology companies.

“The MGTS deal is hard evidence that with a co-ordinated approach real progress can be achieved,” he added.

“The company is significantly expanding its Redditch campus, with the Brook Building being comprehensively refurbished to include cutting edge training areas, classrooms and engineering cells.

“This dovetails with another council scheme which offers post graduate placements from Birmingham University into Redditch companies.

“(It is) a fantastic joint effort with exciting long-term potential, which we must maximise.”

Pictured at the completion of the centre are, from left: Ian Edwards, Worcestershire LEP, Andy Bywater, GBSLEP, Bill Hartnett, leader, Redditch Borough Council, Ben Truslove, from John Truslove, Lee Weatherly, CEO, Midland Training Group, Giles Lawton, chair, Midlands Training Group and Dean Piper, North Worcestershire EDR.