New £3m Technical Academy to tool up West Midlands for IR4

In-Comm Training unveiled the 24,000 sqft training space in Aldridge, which has been a true employer-led collaboration with no fewer than 12 manufacturers contributing investment, expertise and input into its creation.

Located in Vigo Place, the centre has been backed by £733,000 of Black Country LEP Growth Deal funding and is fitted out with cutting-edge CNC machine tools, automation, a robotics line, metrology, fluid power stations and a dedicated electrical and electronics section.

It will also house material testing, material handling and grinding capabilities, as well as a 16-seater Mastercam and CIMCO CAD/Cam studio to help students develop their design for manufacturing skills.

“This is a transformational project for the region and will ensure SME manufacturers have the capabilities and skills to remain competitive,” explained Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training.

“The investment will create an additional 420 Trailblazer Apprenticeship places between now and 2022, while also providing 1,250 advanced learning opportunities. And this isn’t basic training; this is training that will explore automation, prototyping, R&D, operational excellence and real-time data analysis.”

Jones continued: “This facility will help SMEs gain access to application engineers and state-of-the-art technology, which will allow them to product develop and process map prior to installing manufacturing cells into their factories. It’s the future of skills provision.”

More than 200 people attended the official launch of the In-Comm Technical Academy, with delegates given a guided tour of the centre and the chance to speak to trainers, current apprentices and manufacturers already benefitting from bridging the ‘competency gap’.

They also heard how the vision started with an open forum involving local employers highlighting some of the major skills issues they faced and what technology/machinery they would like their staff to be trained on.

From this initial meeting and feedback, the plan was created and a host of technical partners embraced it, including ABB Robotics, Blum-Novotest, Engineering Technology Group, Hexagon Metrology, Houghton, Hyfore, IMI Precision Engineering, Mitsubishi EDM and Zwick Roell.

These firms have supplied the latest CNC Machines, robotics, pneumatics and electrical controls and metrology and, importantly, delivered them in a way that can be used for training both apprentices and existing ‘skilled’ members of staff on new applications.

Jones continued: “This year, we are 40% up on the number of Apprenticeship starts against a national decline of 61%. That is a statistic that shows what happens when employers get really involved in developing the right skills and training provision so they are getting young people and staff that are not only fit for purpose, but also fit for the future.”