More than 100 people attended two lunch-time events held by the Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT) in Bridgnorth earlier this month.
At the £3 million ‘state of the art’ 36,000ft
2 facility, companies such as SNG Barratt and Mitchell Competition Engines heard about the type of learning opportunities that are available, and about the wide array of technology that will shortly be installed.
This covers fabrication, casting, turning, metrology, milling, robotics and vehicle trimming; there will also be a specialist CNC zone and a spray booth, plus a lecture theatre, five vehicle ramps and a rolling-road test facility.
Matthew Snelson (pictured), managing director of the centre, said: “The concrete floor is now complete, which signals the start of construction and fit-out, so we need to seriously start looking at recruitment of our first cohort of apprentices. This will involve lots of employer engagement events and open days for parents, schools and children.”
“Our first two lunch-time events were very well attended, and there was a lot of interest in the initial apprenticeships we are offering, not to mention the chance for firms to tap into ‘continuing professional development’ opportunities and the new technology we will be installing.
There seemed a general consensus that the MCMT will take apprenticeship and bespoke training provision to a new level — a vision we will be working hard to achieve.”
The MCMT has received £1.9 million of Government Growth Deal funding via the Marches LEP, with £1.1 million of private funding pledged by a consortium comprising Classic Motor Cars, Grainger & Worrall, In-Comm Training and Salop Design & Engineering. Engineering courses will begin in August.