The Manufacturing Technology Centre is teaming up with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to train hundreds of apprentices in a new training academy in Oxfordshire.
UKAEA has partnered with STFC to form Oxfordshire Advanced Skills to increase the amount of trained technicians available to local employers in the county – one of the UK's high-tech hotspots.
Work has begun on a new 3,800 sq metre training academy at UKAEA's site at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon. The centre will equip 350 apprentices a year with badly needed technical skills for the local economy.
Training at the new facility will be delivered by the MTC, replicating the industry-leading Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre on the MTC campus at Ansty Park, Coventry. The AMTC has built a rapid reputation for equipping apprentices not only with core engineering skills but also the latest advanced manufacturing techniques.
The new centre will be equipped with industry-standard equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines. The first intake of apprentices will move into the new building in September next year.
Paul Rowlett, managing director of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, said: “Having an insight into tomorrow’s technology gives us the ability to create training programmes and apprenticeships to equip industry with a capable workforce. We are delighted to be working with UKAEA and STFC to deliver the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training programme. There is a clear synergy and shared vision across our organisations.”
David Martin, the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s chief operating officer – himself a former apprentice – said: “Oxfordshire is one of Europe’s biggest areas for science and technology, with 10,000 people employed in these industries – four times the national average. We can only sustain this success if we have more skilled young people coming through, and OAS is a vital part of this skills pipeline. In the AMTC we are partnering with one of the UK’s most forward-thinking training organisations. They will give apprentices at OAS access to new technologies and ways of working, ready for the hi-tech industries of the future.”
