The Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT), which aims to train ‘2020 learners by 2020’, held a launch event in Bridgnorth last Wednesday (7 December). Over 100 local businesses attended the event to find out how they can play a role in helping the MCMT combat the skills gap in the region.
Work will begin on fitting out a 36,000 square feet building, which will provide a high-tech environment for individuals to learn about the latest in the manufacturing industry from engineering experts. The site will have areas for fabrication, foundry, lathe, metrology, milling, robotics and vehicle trimming skills, as well as a specialist CNC zone and spray booth. It will also feature an auditorium lecture theatre, five vehicle ramps and a rolling road test facility.
The MCMT has received almost £2m of funding from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), with the remainder being pledged by a consortium of local businesses, including training provider In-Comm. Gareth Jones, In-Comm managing director, said: “We will be looking to open our doors for office-based courses from 1 April and full engineering courses from August 2017. There is a lot of engagement planned with Shropshire schools and colleges to get young people thinking about manufacturing and engineering as a career.”
Graham Wynn OBE, chairman of the Marches LEP, said that the MCMT will go some way to “plugging the skills gaps that currently exist” and help encourage “more investment and more jobs, which can only have a positive impact on the economic prosperity of our county”.
Matthew Snelson, managing director of the MCMT called the project “one of the most exciting developments seen in manufacturing training provision in the area for many years”.
“We believe the MCMT is critical to closing the skills gap for Shropshire businesses, but we are under no illusions that we will need the rest of local industry, education and training to play their part,” he added. “This could be through informing how the provision develops, using the services and even offering time and expertise to help with delivering some of the learning.”
