MTC has teamed up with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to train hundreds of apprentices in a new training academy in Oxfordshire.
UKAEA has partnered with the Science and Technology Facilities Council to form the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) training programme, which aims to increase the number of trained technicians available to local employers in one of the UK’s high-tech hotspots.
Work has already begun on the new training academy at UKAEA’s Culham Science Centre site near Abingdon, which will provide 350 apprentices a year with essential technical skills to support the growth of the local economy.
MTC will deliver the training at the new facility to replicate that of its industry-leading Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC), which, since opening in 2015, has rapidly built a reputation for equipping apprentices with the core engineering skills and the latest advanced manufacturing techniques.
The training academy will open in September 2019, equipped with industry-standard equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines.
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 to deliver the OAS training programme as there is a clear synergy and shared vision across both organisations.”
David Martin, UKAEA’s Chief Operating Officer 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 the OAS programme 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 our apprentices access to new technologies and ways of working, ready for the hi-tech industries of the future.”