The University of Wolverhampton’s Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS) has formed an exciting partnership with In-Comm Training to help boost UK manufacturing skills.
The ECMS’ new National Press and Tooling Centre will be located at the training provider’s Aldridge academy and will focus on delivering toolmaking apprenticeships and technical courses for more than 2000 people.
Over £1.4m has been invested in creating a modern toolroom that features a host of new equipment and two 110 tonne state-of-the-art presses sourced by Bruderer UK and Worcester Presses - complete with the latest servo feed, decoiling equipment and robotics.
A £500,000 state-of-the-art BSTA-280 tonne press will also be arriving in November to complete the line-up.
Gareth Jones, Managing Director at In-Comm Training, said: “We have listened to what industry wants and designed a centre that is equipped with world class machinery and where world class training will be delivered by some of the finest technical experts in the business.
“No other organisation in the Midlands is currently offering this kind of training facility and we are expecting demand to be huge, especially with toolmaking considered a dying manufacturing art.
He continued: “We already have a very strong relationship with the University of Wolverhampton, having worked with them on a number of previous projects. Together, we are looking forward to welcoming our first intake of apprentices and supporting more manufacturers in the Midlands and the rest of the UK.”
Ian Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive of the ECMS, added his support: “It’s well known that the manufacturing industry has an ageing workforce and that bespoke training courses -specifically matching industry requirements - can be quite difficult to source.
“Our aim at the ECMS is to give our learners a clear line of sight and a career pathway from Levels 2, 3 and 4, through to Higher National Certificate and Diploma and then Degree Apprenticeships. By partnering with organisations such as In-Comm we can offer a complete or bespoke training package for the manufacturing sector through both practical and theoretical learning.”
In-Comm Training, which operates its own Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ academy in Aldridge and the Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury, is one of the UK’s leading training providers, working across more than 10 sectors and with 250 different companies.
It delivers over 500 apprenticeships every year and more than 100 bitesize and in-depth training courses, covering business improvement techniques, quality, lean manufacturing and applications engineering.
