The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry has cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art training centre in partnership with Lloyds Bank in a bid to tackle the UK’s manufacturing skills gap.
The MTC’s Lloyds Bank Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre has been designed to provide premium training for the next generation of engineers and technicians.
Funding from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been matched by industry support for the development of the centre. Lloyds Bank is the largest private sector contributor to the centre and is contributing £5million over a five year period as part of its commitment to support the UK manufacturing industry. The bank’s contribution will support over 1,000 trainees, in line with the Group’s Helping Britain Prosper Plan; as well as helping the UK realise its potential in advanced manufacturing.
“The UK economy is growing but if the shortage in manufacturing skills is not addressed, it will seriously hamper our future capabilities and poses a significant risk to our competitiveness and overseas trade,” Tim Hinton, managing director of Mid Markets and SME Banking at Lloyds Banking Group, commented.“Our £5 million contribution to help finance more apprenticeships at these impressive facilities is just one of the ways that we are supporting the manufacturing sector and closing the skills gap. We are confident that the MTC and AMTC will develop the next generation of world-leading engineers and help reassert the UK’s engineering prowess.”
The new training centre opened its doors to its second cohort of apprentices in September, giving new recruits the opportunity to train and learn alongside some of the world’s leading experts in manufacturing and engineering.
Apprentices have been able to work on projects including robotics, 3D printing, intelligent automation and advanced metrology to provide them with a competitive advantage for the future manufacturing landscape.
Managing director of the MTC’s Lloyds Bank Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, Paul Rowlett, added: “With a continued shortfall in engineering skills, the sector is crying out for new employees who have a specialised set of skills needed for their business to progress. The unique opportunity to gain expertise with MTC member companies involved in some of the most exciting research into advanced manufacturing methods and processes being undertaken anywhere in the world, provides a great springboard to an exciting career in a thriving sector.”
