New apprenticeship scheme for AMTC

The intake will join the 36 apprentices who are currently completing their first year training at college and will shortly be moving into the new £36m Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC).

The AMTC is looking to recruit 40 new apprentices to start in September, employed on the centre’s innovative Level 3 Advanced Engineering Apprenticeship programme.

The new Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre is on the same site as the MTC, recently named as one of the Top 100 apprentice employers in the country at the National Apprenticeship Service’s awards, and is set to make a significant contribution towards solving the skills shortages.

The AMTC building, due to open in September, will be the UK’s first National College, a flagship facility for advanced apprenticeship programmes.

Apprentices will learn the latest technology in areas such as intelligent automation, additive layer manufacture, robotics, metrology, mechatronics, additive layer manufacture, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided machining (CAM).

Apprentices will be able to test and develop their skills in sponsored placements, including the opportunity to undertake international assignments with MTC members and supporters.

In the first year apprentices will learn the basics of engineering and manufacturing before using the sophisticated high-tech equipment in the AMTC, much of which is the most advanced available in the UK.

Welcomed by both the Prime Minister David Cameron and Business Secretary Vince Cable, the training centre is part of an ambitious £90m expansion plan for the MTC and marks the beginning of a strategy to establish cultural changes in developing the skills and processes needed for future manufacturing in the UK.

The MTC opened in 2011 and was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI and its  industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.

The facility aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy. The MTC is part the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board).

MTC chief executive Clive Hickman said, “The new training centre will create vital skills, developing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technicians.

“The skills shortage has been an ongoing issue for manufacturing. Many small and medium-sized companies simply cannot afford the four-year investment costs of apprentices, and fully skilled workers are attracted by the larger players – often at salaries that smaller companies simply can’t match.

“Our plan is help SMEs by offering apprenticeships, which are cost-effective and provide tangible value from day one. A fully-qualified MTC apprentice will be a valuable asset to any SME.”

The growth of the Manufacturing Technology Centre has far exceeded expectations, achieving many of its targets five years ahead of schedule. The Centre already has a growing apprenticeship and graduate scheme, which will be enhanced by the new facility.