Apprentices and Skills
EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation is investing in a new state-of-the-art Apprentice & Skills Training Centre in the West Midlands that will set the standard for world class manufacturing education.
The bespoke training facility at Nexus Point, Aston, in Birmingham will replace EEF's current centre at Tyseley. The investment is designed to ensure that companies are able to access state of the art training facilities and will provide opportunities for learning, re-skilling and up-skilling from Apprentices through to Adult Learners.
The multi-million pound investment will double the number of classrooms currently available, as well as increasing the footprint of all workshop training areas to provide greater capacity and, an increased range of manufacturing technologies. Initially the Centre is being designed to be able to train 130 apprentices on any given day, with apprentices getting their own dedicated training work stations, whether that be a CNC machine, CAD work station or welding bay. Trainees will rotate around the various sections during their training and will have the opportunity to specialise in any skills area.
Bite-sized re-skilling and up-skilling courses will also be available, developed around employers’ needs. Manufacturing, mechanical and electrical pathways will continue to be the core offering and the delivery team will ensure apprentice programmes, be they Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships, Higher Apprenticeships (and potentially Traineeships), are designed and delivered to meet the needs of employers.
Apprentices and delegates attending the Centre will be assured of first rate facilities and training delivery as EEF will continue its focus on maintaining high quality training provision in premises and an environment that will meet our customers’ expectations. Part of the investment will fund new high technology machines and training equipment and there will be self-study IT breakout areas, together with improved catering provision.
The centre is targeted for opening in September, in time to welcome the new 2013 intake. It offers good transport links by road and rail and EEF will also run a shuttle bus service in the locality, connecting with Birmingham city centre at the start and end of the day.
Commenting, Peter Winebloom, EEF Apprentices and Skills Director, said:
"This will be an industry-leading apprentice centre for employers in the West Midlands and across the UK, with sufficient capacity to cater for current and future needs."
"This significant investment symbolises the importance EEF places on apprenticeships. We are committed to providing employers and other UK manufacturing organisations with the very best facilities and training to equip their young employees with the skills they require."
He added: "We looked at options of developing our existing site, but it was too constrained. All the current programmes will transfer from Tyseley, but we intend to expand our existing portfolio in response to employer demand. The new centre will enable EEF members and other clients to develop their own bespoke facilities (or areas within the facility) dedicated to their trainees."
Also commenting, Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“With figures out this week showing growth in the manufacturing sector, it’s important we are giving people the right training to meet future demand.
“The Government is investing in a record number of apprentices and creating a £150 million pot for employers to create the training schemes they need. But we must work in partnership with industry and others if we are to remain competitive and create growth.
“Facilities like these from EEF will help as we create the next generation of manufacturers. Apprentices will be able to gain hands-on experience in their chosen speciality, acquiring the skills and techniques that employers need to help create a stronger economy.”
EEF will be hosting employer briefing sessions this summer. To enquire about the events, or for further information please contact the Centre on 0121 707 1414 or email at skills@eef.org.uk
1. EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, is the representative voice of manufacturing in the UK. It has a growing membership of almost 6,000 companies of all sizes, employing some 900,000 people from every sector of engineering, manufacturing, engineering construction and technology-based industries. www.eef.org.uk
Birmingham City Council has teamed up with the National Apprenticeship Service to create a fund offering grants of up to £3,000 to businesses for every 16-24 year old they take on and train.
City councillors have pledged to create 1,000 apprenticeships in the next 100 days in the battle against youth unemployment in Birmingham.
Two initiatives, the 1,000 in 100 campaign and a Young Talent for Business scheme, are the first set up since Birmingham City Council pledged to get 3,000 young people off the dole within a year – particularly targeting those who have been without work the longest.
Call our Apprentice and Skills Service 0121 707 1414 for more details.
I read an interesting blog by my colleague Verity O'Keefe, Employment and Skills Adviser, at EEF. Here is her blog with some top facts and figures on Manufacturing Apprenticeships:
Manufacturers rely on Apprenticeships to acquire the skills they need to maintain and grow their business, fill gaps that exist in their workforces and get young people into manufacturing.
"Our apprentices are the guarantee for a successful future of our business" - Ralph Saelzer, Liebherr-Sunderland Works
Our industry has a proven track record in offering Apprenticeships but have perhaps felt that Apprenticeships haven’t been given the credit they deserve. The tide is beginning to change. Apprenticeships have shot up policy-makers agendas, with a cross-party consensus that Apprenticeships play a key role in supporting economic growth going forward.
There is more still to be done to create more and better quality Apprenticeships. We expect the Government to respond to the Richard Review of Apprenticeships shortly, which makes a number of recommendations which could potentially shift the Apprenticeship landscape quite radically. We will await the outcome and prepare to press Government to push forward those recommendations that will better support our industry.
But for now, as it’s National Apprenticeship Week we thought we would celebrate with some of our top facts and figures on Manufacturing Apprenticeships:
(1) Two-thirds of our members currently offer Apprenticeships (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
(2) Of those members, three-quarters had manufacturing and engineering Apprenticeship starts in the past 12 months (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
"We have recruited four apprentices within the last year, representing 16% of our total workforce, and we see them as a core part of our company growth strategy" - Andrew Esson, Quick Hydraulics
(3) There were 59,480 Engineering and Manufacturing Apprenticeship starts in 2011/12 (Source: The Data Service)
"We have had over 500 applications from young people so far this year for apprenticeships or pathways to engineering starting in September 2013" - Steve Grant, TTE Technical Training Group
(4) The number of manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships has more than doubled in the past 10 years (Source: The Data Service)
(5) Average pay rates for an engineering apprentice is £6.23 compared to £3.38 in hairdressing (Source: BIS Apprentice Pay Survey 2011)
(6) 45% of engineering apprentices receive bonuses compared to a 26% average (Source: BIS Apprentice Pay Survey 2011)
"Our apprentices are an invaluable asset to our company's long term prosperity, ensuring both continuity and progression in the transfer of skill and knowledge" - Craig Naylor, NTR Ltd
(7) 90% of Engineering Apprentices are always paid overtime compared to 38% in Business Admin (Source: BIS Apprentice Pay Survey 2011)
(8) Engineering Apprentices doing overtime receive one of the highest hourly rates at £9.48 per hour (Source: BIS Apprentice Pay Survey 2011)
(9)Three-quarters of EEF members generally offer apprenticeships to those aged 16 to 18 years old (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
(10) Six in ten manufacturers said on average their Apprenticeship programmes last up to four years (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
(11)Three-quarters of manufacturers said ALL their Apprentices went into full time employment in THEIR company (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
"Rention rates amongst apprentices (in our company) are high, with every apprentice being offered a permanent job upon completion of their trainin. Our apprentices are extremely loyal and stay with the firm, often climbing the ranks within the company" - Richard Bridgman, Warren Services
(12) Seven in ten companies prioritise passion and enthusiasm for manufacturers when recruiting Apprentices (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
(13) There was an 84% increase in the number of women taking an engineering apprenticeship between 2002 and 2010 (Source: SEMTA)
"MBDA’s apprenticeship furthered my education, enhanced my confidence, and launched me into the working environment. Academically, I’ve achieved NVQs, a HNC and a First-Class BA Honours Degree; In Personal Development, my presentation and communication skills are enormously improved; and Professionally, I’m recognised as a valuable asset with brilliant prospects ahead. It’s been overwhelming to have my efforts commended at national level and I feel it’s essential apprentices are recognised for their achievements. Since my success in the NAS awards, I’ve been able to conduct a speech at the House of Lords, appear live on ITV’s Daybreak and on BBC Radio." - Beth Sherbourne, MBDA Systems, Higher ApprenticeWinner 2012
(14) Half of our members said they offered Apprenticeships to get young people into manufacturing (Source: EEF Skills Survey 2012)
Ed toured our workshop and stopped at most of the sections (milling, turning, the bottom bench, electrical and CAD room) talking to the apprentices working on them.
All the students he met were training with us full time before going to their employers for on-the-job training. They spoke up well, answering Ed’s questions about why they’d chosen an apprenticeship, what they’d studied at school, whether they were enjoying their training (they were) and what their aspirations are.
After his tour of the whole centre, Ed had two round-table discussions, one with five of our student apprentices and the other with centre management. The apprentices he met were: Neil Bottle and John Porter, apprentices for Spline Gauges; Eric Dixon, apprentice for CH Barnett; Jacob Hawkesworth, apprentice for Co - Eng Ltd, and Paul West, apprentice for Ishida.
Ed was in the West Midlands to launch Labour’s Youth Jobs Taskforce. He said there’d been too much talk about university and not enough about “the forgotten 50 per cent” who choose another route.
He particularly wanted to visit our centre because it’s dedicated to apprentice training and we’re strong in engineering skills. During his day in the West Midlands he said that wealth creators like manufacturers and engineers are crying out for the right skills but not enough is being done.
We’re doing our bit and we’re very grateful to Ed Miliband for showing a strong interest in apprenticeship and raising its profile through his visit. We don’t think our apprentices are the “forgotten 50 per cent”, we know they’re the future.
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