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NEWS<br />
11<br />
£3m vision to bridge the<br />
manufacturing skills gap<br />
Launch time – Matthew Snelson (Grainger & Worrall), Christopher Greenough (Salop Design & Engineering), Bekki Phillips<br />
(In-Comm Training), Peter Neumark, Mike Roe (both Classic Motor Cars) and Gareth Jones (In-Comm Training)<br />
Work is under way<br />
on the creation of a<br />
new state-of-the-art<br />
training hub in Shropshire,<br />
with the aim of supporting<br />
‘2020 learners by 2020’.<br />
More than 100 local businesses and<br />
stakeholders attended the £3 million<br />
Marches Centre of Manufacturing &<br />
Technology (MCMT) launch event in<br />
Bridgnorth to find out how they can play<br />
their role in helping it reverse the region’s<br />
skills and competency gaps.<br />
The MCMT, which is led by a<br />
consortium of Classic Motor Cars, Grainger<br />
& Worrall, Salop Design & Engineering and<br />
training provider In-Comm, will provide a<br />
high-tech environment for individuals to<br />
learn from engineering experts on the latest<br />
technology – all geared towards giving them<br />
opportunities to apply their new found skills<br />
on real life manufacturing situations.<br />
Supported by the Marches Local<br />
Enterprise Partnership, work on fitting out<br />
the 36,000 sq ft building on the Stanmore<br />
Industrial Estate is now getting under<br />
way, with exciting plans in place to create<br />
dedicated fabrication, foundry, lathe,<br />
metrology, milling, robotics and vehicle<br />
trimming sections, as well as a specialist<br />
CNC Zone and spray booth/mixing<br />
capabilities.<br />
There will also be an auditorium lecture<br />
theatre, bespoke learning environments, 5<br />
vehicle ramps and a rolling road test facility.<br />
“This is one of the most exciting<br />
developments seen in manufacturing<br />
training provision in the area for many<br />
years and yesterday gave us the perfect<br />
opportunity to communicate our vision<br />
to employers, colleges, universities and<br />
future learners,” explained Matthew<br />
Snelson, director of Grainger & Worrall and<br />
managing director of the centre.<br />
“We believe the MCMT is critical<br />
to closing the skills gap for Shropshire<br />
businesses, but we are under no illusions<br />
that we will need the rest of local industry,<br />
education and training to play their part.<br />
This could be through informing how the<br />
provision develops, using the services and<br />
even offering time and expertise to help with<br />
delivering some of the learning.<br />
“There are also plenty of opportunities<br />
for businesses to sponsor different learning<br />
zones or donate equipment and machinery<br />
our learners can train on.”<br />
The Marches Centre of Manufacturing<br />
& Technology has received £1.9 million<br />
of funding from the Marches LEP to bring<br />
the concept into reality, with £1.1 million<br />
of private funding already pledged by the<br />
consortium. Additional sponsorship and<br />
business engagement will look to bring the<br />
budget to over £4 million.<br />
It will look to support 2020 learners<br />
between now and 2020 and this will largely<br />
involve developing apprentices in advanced<br />
manufacturing and engineering, giving<br />
employers a strong pool of skills to tap into<br />
as they continue to compete globally.<br />
In addition to this, there will also be<br />
capacity to work with 400 companies<br />
on developing existing manufacturing<br />
professionals up to Level 7 qualifications,<br />
covering business improvement techniques,<br />
team leadership, vehicle body repair and<br />
paint, vehicle body building, technical<br />
development, quality and continuous<br />
improvement.<br />
Gareth Jones, managing director of<br />
In-Comm, added his support: “We will be<br />
looking to open our doors for office based<br />
courses from April 1st and full engineering<br />
courses from August 2017. There is a lot of<br />
work ahead to equip the centre and build a<br />
pipeline of learners who want to be part of<br />
something new and exciting.<br />
“There is a lot of engagement planned<br />
with Shropshire schools and colleges to get<br />
young people thinking about engineering<br />
and manufacturing as a career and, it is<br />
important to stress, that the MCMT is open<br />
to all employers in the area.<br />
“It is the clearest sign yet of the desire<br />
to reshore training provision so that local<br />
needs are met and there is no doubt we will<br />
become an important asset when looking to<br />
attract inward investment into the Marches.”<br />
Graham Wynn OBE, chairman of the<br />
Marches LEP, said: “Plugging the skills<br />
gaps that currently exist will mean that<br />
businesses here will be able to grow and<br />
thrive. That means more investment and<br />
more jobs, which can only have a positive<br />
impact on the economic prosperity of our<br />
county.<br />
“The MCMT is one of three Advanced<br />
Manufacturing Hubs which are being<br />
funded by the Local Growth Fund via the<br />
Marches LEP and we’re delighted to see<br />
this milestone reached yesterday.”