Member Article

North East college launches engineering training centre

The North East looks set to benefit from an impressive economy boost that will educate students like never before.

Tyne Metropolitan College is to work in partnership with Chirton Engineering to establish the North East Advanced Machining Academy (NEAMA), a dedicated centre for training and development in specialist engineering.

This unique collaboration, worth £1.5 million in grants and sponsorship, is part of a government pilot programme which will benefit students across the region wishing to train in precision engineering, as well as professionals looking to re-train.

The programme aims to promote dependable growth in the economy by meeting the region’s needs. This comes as part of a government announcement to plough up to £238 million into designing educational training that will fill the skills gap in the local workforce.

The Academy will ensure students are trained to the highest of standards by learning CNC tools and the principles of machinery, all whilst gaining hands-on experience to improve the skills base of the country.

School leavers will be among those to reap the benefits with work-based apprenticeships on offer whilst still gaining access to specialist facilities, machinery and equipment at the academy.

Aspiring engineers at Key Stage 4 will also be able to take part in activities and programmes of study at the Academy while undertaking GCSEs at their school.

Paul Stewart, Managing Director at Chirton Engineering LTD, said: “The North East engineering sector will have the best trainees available, which will greatly enhance the current workforce and cement the region as a worldwide engineering hot-bed.

“Highly skilled apprentices will arrive in the workplace with confidence as well as giving a quicker monetary return on the employer’s investment.”

The partnership will equip students to become highly skilled precision engineers of the future by giving apprentices a much more in-depth first year of training.

Jon Vincent, Principal and Chief Executive at Tyne Metropolitan College, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity not only for the College, but for students and the community as well.

“As the first college in the North of England to be awarded STEM assured status, recognising excellence across Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, TyneMet has already established itself as the go-to provider for these subjects. The creation of NEAMA feels like a natural next step after years of investment in engineering and the region.

“Working with sector specialists, such as Chirton Engineering, to adapt the curriculum and tailor training programmes to meet employers’ needs is critical for the College and the region’s continuing growth and success.”

TyneMet has a solid reputation for educating engineers and in 2012 was awarded a Good Schools Guide Award, outranking all other English schools in its category.

NEAMA will form TyneMet’s fourth campus, after its main vocational site on the Coast Road, TMC in Benton and Queen Alexandra Sixth Form in North Shields.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lisa Dawson .