A UNIQUE hi-tech training facility is expected to play a key role in bridging a skills gap within the engineering industry.
\nThe \u00a31.2 million Dove Engineering Centre delivers top-quality apprenticeship training for leading businesses across the region.
\nMore than 160 students made up the initial intake in September at the new facility, which is part of the successful JCB Academy.
\nAnd director of apprenticeships Jim Bailey is convinced it can help to address a shortage of skilled technicians across the UK.
\nHe said: \u201cThere\u2019s a massive skills gap within the engineering sector in this country and it has left businesses in all kinds of industries struggling to recruit properly-trained staff.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a real lack of people coming through with the depth of knowledge of modern techniques and practices that companies in all sorts of sectors need.
\n\u201cOne of the reasons the Centre was set up was to help to address that situation by providing a clear link between education and the world of employment.
\n\u201cWhile schools can take students to the end of a particular educational route, we are closing the loop by making those students suitable for businesses.\u201d
\nHelping the entire engineering sector was the over-riding vision of JCB Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford, who formally opened the Centre – housed in the former Dove First School in Rocester, Staffordshire – in September.
\nThe school closed in July last year and the building, along with associated land, was purchased by JCB.<\/p>\n
An extension was added as part of conversion work funded by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the building was transformed into a dedicated and purpose-designed amenity featuring modern facilities and cutting-edge technology.
\nA mechatronics suite features a hi-tech rig that replicates an entire manufacturing system along with a host of hydraulic and pneumatic equipment while, in another area, students undertake projects using computer aided design.
\nThe metrology department houses a co-ordinate measurement machine alongside a range of other industrial measuring tools, while there\u2019s also a drafting room containing 15 drawing stations and a science lab geared towards the study of engineering principles.
\nThe Centre, which has also been fitted out with its own canteen, delivers largely academic education for young engineers, while apprentices receive technical tuition in workshops at the main Academy site nearby.
\nThe facility has its own fitting room alongside machine, welding and electrical workshops – each featuring the latest equipment.
\nAnd it\u2019s a connection between the Academy and the Engineering Centre that makes the entire project unique, according to Mr Bailey.
\nHe added: \u201cThe Academy has been providing apprenticeship programmes for four years, but the development of the new Centre takes that provision to the next level.
\n\u201cWe are already the only school in the country that is also a training provider and now we can provide a seamless transition across to apprenticeships.
\n\u201cIt has helped us to deliver a pathway that students can follow from a young age until they secure employment in the role they\u2019ve always wanted.
\n\u201cLearners can join the Academy as 13 or 14-year-olds and, if they work hard and make the right choices, they can leave us with a degree and a job. Of course, it very much depends on what direction students want to go in, but the opportunity is now there.
\nEmployers use the Centre to equip their own apprentices with the latest skills and the facility, which has a capacity to admit 200 students over the age of 16 a year, welcomed an initial intake of 161 – with an average age of 22.
\nAlmost 50 per cent come from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and 32 per cent from Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire.
\nEach apprentice, recruited by employers themselves, will attend four days a week for the first 12 months of apprentice programmes which could last three years, depending on which course they take.
\nMr Bailey said: \u201cTeaching is initially standardised across the Craft and Technical range and students will study each topic on core skills in three-week blocks.
\n\u201cEither the students themselves, or the companies they\u2019re linked to, will then choose one of several programme pathways. They might want to specialise as a fabrication welder or they might want a more technical, advanced role.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll design a programme of study to suit their requirement and, while that might change as we go along depending on skill, aptitude or employers\u2019 need, that\u2019s certainly the initial aim.\u201d
\nCraft courses, including welding and fabrication, last for 18 months while the Technician pathway, for potential electrical and mechanical engineers and those aiming for roles in design, quality or maintenance for example, is a three-year cycle.
\nHigher learners can go on to take advantage of the Centre\u2019s partnership with Sheffield Hallam University which enables apprentices to take a full engineering degree free of charge.
\nMr Bailey said: \u201cSheffield Hallam has a great reputation in engineering and students who take the degree study partly here and partly there.
\n\u201cOur link with the university means those who come through our system can go from the Academy into the Centre and leave with a degree. For anyone setting their sights on a career in engineering, that has to be a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The apprenticeship programme, which employs the equivalent of 21 full-time tutors, stands out from rival providers on several fronts, according to Mr Bailey.
\nHe said: \u201cWe are purely focused on engineering and manufacturing and it\u2019s our knowledge and expertise that makes us different.
\n\u201cOur employers help to design the training programmes and that ensures we deliver bespoke pathways covering the entire spectrum of skills they need.
\n\u201cWe are passionate about engineering excellence so, rather than necessarily stick to any standard curriculum, we\u2019ll provide a wide level of knowledge that meets the requirements of employers. Few other training providers have that passion and understanding.
\n\u201cEvery member of our tutor team is an expert with significant industrial or educational experience and they\u2019re now passing on that experience and knowledge to the next generation.
\n\u201cIt means apprentices who come here have such a fantastic opportunity that can set them up for the rest of their lives.\u201d
\nA number of businesses have already seen the potential of the Centre\u2019s employer programme \u2013 an initiative naturally led by JCB, which is putting 119 students through their paces at the facility this year.
\nNigel Ward, Apprenticeship Manager at company, said: \u201cDeveloping tomorrow\u2019s technicians with the ability to convert and deliver solid engineering principles into innovative manufacturing solutions is crucial if we\u2019re to meet our future business and performance objectives.
\n\u201cHaving a hi-tech training and development facility on our doorstep is such an advantage for our apprentices as part of their ongoing training and development.
\n\u201cWith our training provider The JCB Academy, we\u2019re now able to blend cutting-edge digital technology and equipment into their learning programme – helping them to develop the skills, knowledge and competencies required.
\n\u201cWith the support of The JCB Academy and the excellent facilities at Dove Engineering Centre, JCB is in a great position, through the development of our apprentices, to meet these future demands.\u201d
\nOther employers with apprentices at the Centre this year include tyre giants Michelin, based in Stoke.
\nRob Hewitt, Factory Personnel Manager at the company, said: \u201cMichelin has been working with The JCB Academy with our last two intakes of engineering apprentices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a shortage of skilled engineers in the market place and recruiting and training the engineers of the future through the apprentice scheme helps us fill this void.
\n\u201cThe JCB Academy is like-minded and it understands the need to develop engineers and the business leaders of the future.
\n\u201cThe new Dove Centre is a first-rate facility providing a fantastic engineering foundation to the apprentices\u2019 education.\u201d
\nOrbital Gas Systems, Continental Engineering Services and the Bri-Stor Group, which designs and manufactures solutions for commercial vehicles and other industries, have also been quick to see the potential of the Centre.
\nAndrew Humphrey, Managing Director at Bri-Stor based in Hixon, near Stafford, said: \u201cEmploying good people is essential to the success of our business both now and in the future.
\n\u201cWe have struggled to recruit engineers, technicians, fitters or programmers in the past and candidates that we could train were difficult to find too.
\n\u201cThe JCB Academy and now the Dove Engineering Centre are helping to change that thanks to fantastic facilities, the standard of teaching and the fact they have a thorough understanding of what\u2019s required of engineers of the future.\u201d
\nFor further information contact: Joanne Hine, JCB Press Office
\nTel 01889 593602. E-mail: joanne.hine@jcb.com www.jcb.com <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"