Prosper Spring
Black Country Chamber membership magazine. Business news, advice, events, training. Black Country Chamber membership magazine. Business news, advice, events, training.
BUSINESS AND YOUTH TRAINING SPOTLIGHT High-tech engineering skills are coming ‘home’ to Telford A new £3m technical academy, located just a few miles away from the home of the industrial revolution, is promising to deliver a major skills boost to Telford and nearby areas. In-Comm Training, which already operates two highly successful facilities in Aldridge and Shrewsbury, is looking to train more than 350 apprentices and upskill 2500 existing workers at its T54 centre over the next 12 months and opened its doors on March 3. The ‘Ofsted Outstanding’ provider has created 20,000 sq. ft of manufacturing training space, fitting it out with new equipment and state-of-the-art technology, spanning from the latest CNC machines, robotics, fluid power and material testing to welding, electrical, lathes, millers, CAD/ CAM and metrology equipment. A team of 20 expert trainers – all with considerable experience in industry – are on hand to guide the engineers of the future and to deliver best practice courses that will help local companies futureproof employees for years to come. “We’ve been operating in Shropshire since 2015 and all of our clients have been saying to us that Telford, regarded as the industrial epicentre of the north Marches, has been crying out for a dedicated manufacturing training centre for years,” explained Gareth Jones, Managing Director for In-Comm Training, which is headquartered on Vigo Place in Aldridge. “Our employer-led approach, honed for over 40 years in the Black Country, meant we had to act on this, so decided to make a £3million investment into taking on creating a truly world class technical academy on T54 for the thousands of manufacturers operating in the town and county.” He continued: “Telford is just a few minutes away from where the first industrial revolution started and industry is going through the next one, with digital transformation firmly on the agenda and a move to more sustainable production high on the list of priorities. “Companies must act to make sure they have the skills in place to support this transition and this technical academy will play an important role in generating the talent of the future. “Our manufacturers have a major role to play in this and we used the opening as a rallying call to get more strategic partners involved in how we deliver training.” In-Comm Training (Telford) marked its official launch with an open day, where senior delegates, including Selina Graham (the High Sheriff of Shropshire), Claire ‘‘ The aim is to create a vibrant learning environment that leverages the capabilities of academia, employers and higher education... all geared to providing high quality training in the area... ‘‘ Critchell (Telford and Wrekin Council) and Kathryn Jones (Marches LEP) were given the opportunity to meet learners, trainers and the management team, not to mention touring the expansive facility. They heard how the centre will be home to the Marches arm of the Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology, which is pioneering a new approach to delivering today’s higher technical education for tomorrow’s careers. The aim is to create a vibrant learning environment that leverages the capabilities of academia, employers, and higher education – all geared towards providing high-quality training opportunities with clear pathways to skilled jobs in automotive, advanced engineering, aerospace, construction, medical and renewables for example. There will also be a strong focus on delivering upskilling and managed services from Telford, as well as expert consultancy on safety and quality compliance, leadership and management and continuous improvement. In-Comm Training’s HNC offer will be expanded, with new engineering and manufacturing Level 4 courses available through apprenticeships or upskilling opportunities. Bekki Phillips, chief operating officer at In-Comm Training, told Prosper: “One of the other differences that separates us from other training providers is our ability to leverage the expertise and capabilities of an 42 PROSPER SPRING 2023
army of technical partners. “This includes the CNC machining technology of the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), the automation knowledge of Telford-based Bauromat, precision toolmaking of Brandauer, clean air experts Filtermist, energy specialists Schneider Electric and the metrology, measuring and CAD insight of Hexagon and The Torus Group.” She added: “There’s no escaping the tough economic climate but, at the same time, local manufacturers have some great opportunities through reshoring and leading the electrification race. Protecting the skills of today and future developing the skills required for tomorrow will be key in turning the potential into reality. “A strong UK economy needs a buoyant manufacturing sector, and we’ll only achieve this by growing engineering and industrial skills. If we achieve this, our innovative companies will no longer have to worry about gaining access to the talent they need to lead the world.” Collaboration It has been a whirlwind few months for In-Comm Training and its ambition to help local industry bridge the skills gap. In addition to the strategically important opening of the Telford Technical Academy, the company is also five months into the launch of a joint venture with tooling and stamping specialist Brandauer. Over £1m has been channelled into the Precision Tooling Academy at the firm’s Aldridge HQ and this has created a commercial toolroom producing complex tooling, as well as acting as a professional training ground for the toolmakers and designers of the future. This is a vital move for domestic industry, with the sector being held back by a severe lack of toolmakers and the very real possibility of losing these essential skills forever as older workers choose to retire. The Precision Tooling Academy aims to reverse this trend by offering companies access to professional toolmaking courses, upskilling opportunities for qualified engineers looking to diversify their skills and a Level 6 Tool Process Design Apprenticeship to develop the next generation of talent. Training will be unlike anything currently on the market, with up to 35 individuals in the first 12 months able to learn on live tooling projects that will be producing hundreds of thousands of parts every week for Brandauer and other tooling experts keen to maximise the current reshoring opportunities. www.in-comm.co.uk PROSPER SPRING 2023 43
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army of technical partners.<br />
“This includes the CNC machining<br />
technology of the Engineering Technology<br />
Group (ETG), the automation knowledge of<br />
Telford-based Bauromat, precision<br />
toolmaking of Brandauer, clean air experts<br />
Filtermist, energy specialists Schneider<br />
Electric and the metrology, measuring and<br />
CAD insight of Hexagon and The Torus<br />
Group.”<br />
She added: “There’s no escaping the<br />
tough economic climate but, at the same<br />
time, local manufacturers have some great<br />
opportunities through reshoring and<br />
leading the electrification race. Protecting<br />
the skills of today and future developing the<br />
skills required for tomorrow will be key in<br />
turning the potential into reality.<br />
“A strong UK economy needs a buoyant<br />
manufacturing sector, and we’ll only achieve<br />
this by growing engineering and industrial<br />
skills. If we achieve this, our innovative<br />
companies will no longer have to worry<br />
about gaining access to the talent they<br />
need to lead the world.”<br />
Collaboration<br />
It has been a whirlwind few months for<br />
In-Comm Training and its ambition to help<br />
local industry bridge the skills gap.<br />
In addition to the strategically important<br />
opening of the Telford Technical Academy,<br />
the company is also five months into the<br />
launch of a joint venture with tooling and<br />
stamping specialist Brandauer.<br />
Over £1m has been channelled into the<br />
Precision Tooling Academy at the firm’s<br />
Aldridge HQ and this has created a<br />
commercial toolroom producing complex<br />
tooling, as well as acting as a professional<br />
training ground for the toolmakers and<br />
designers of the future.<br />
This is a vital move for domestic industry,<br />
with the sector being held back by a severe<br />
lack of toolmakers and the very real<br />
possibility of losing these essential skills<br />
forever as older workers choose to retire.<br />
The Precision Tooling Academy aims to<br />
reverse this trend by offering companies<br />
access to professional toolmaking courses,<br />
upskilling opportunities for qualified<br />
engineers looking to diversify their skills<br />
and a Level 6 Tool Process Design<br />
Apprenticeship to develop the next<br />
generation of talent.<br />
Training will be unlike anything currently<br />
on the market, with up to 35 individuals in<br />
the first 12 months able to learn on live<br />
tooling projects that will be producing<br />
hundreds of thousands of parts every week<br />
for Brandauer and other tooling experts<br />
keen to maximise the current reshoring<br />
opportunities.<br />
www.in-comm.co.uk<br />
PROSPER SPRING 2023 43
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