City of Wolverhampton College invests in the future

New technology has a place at City of Wolverhampton College with the investment in ProtoTRAK-controlled machines and Siemens-controlled vertical machining and turning centres

City of Wolverhampton College has made a major investment in a range of machinery to ensure local businesses in the West Midlands have a steady stream of young talent coming into the manufacturing industry.

Having first purchased machines from Devon-based XYZ Machine Tools back in 2015, which were located in the original training workshop at its Paget Road Campus, demand for its training services has boomed, and now a new £8.1 million Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre has been built at the college’s Wellington Road campus in Bilston, and is a key part of the City of Wolverhampton Council’s transformational City Learning Quarter masterplan.

The new centre — which opened in September 2024 — houses the existing machines from 2015 and another wave of major investment in manual mills, manual lathes, CNC bed mills fitted with ProtoTRAK RMX touchscreen controls, along with a vertical machining centre and CNC lathe, both fitted with Siemens Sinumerik CNC controls.

Pictured left: Support from John Aspinall, XYZ’s educational sales manager has been fantastic according to Jim Wilkins, curriculum leader for engineering

Jim Wilkins, curriculum manager for engineering at the college, said: “We think that it is important that these young people, who range from Level One students right up to HND level, understand the basics of machining. This starts with being able to create and understand a drawing and then continue through to gaining knowledge in basic machining principles with the setting up of a machine and learning how to manufacture parts, which is why we have a number of manual machines.”

He continued: “That said, to assist in their development and to be prepared for full-time employment, students need to be exposed to CNC mills and lathes and become familiar the additional functions they have. This means they can learn about production engineering in a controlled environment and the efficiency gains that come from using machines fitted with automatic tool changers.”

The funding came from the local council and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) who had the vision to make this funding available due to Wolverhampton and the wider West Midlands area being industry led. Now this workshop is up and running, the college is engaging with local businesses so they can work together to provide young people with a future in the engineering sector.

Gaining the skills and knowledge
There are currently 140 students enrolled on engineering courses, as well as over 40 engineering apprentices from local and national companies training at the centre, gaining the skills and knowledge they need for their careers in the industry.

Mr Wilkins concluded: “The purchase of the XYZ machines has proven over several years to be the right choice for the college. This is due to the industrial build quality of the machines along with the service and support we receive from XYZ. Also having a dedicated point of contact in John Aspinall, XYZ’s educational sales manager, we get fantastic advice and support on our equipment. This helps the college to achieve its goals of preparing young people for employment by equipping them with the skills needed by the sector and, ensuring local engineering companies are kept supplied with young talent that allows local businesses to stay productive and competitive.”