On the right path

The Deputy Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, has praised the planned New Apprenticeship Pathways designed by the University of Sheffield AMRC with the support of the MTA.

 

Addressing the audience at a recent Future Aerospace Manufacturing seminar that took place in Sheffield, he said: “I'm absolutely delighted that Alison Bettac and her team have established this fantastic initiative – which is the first of its kind – to create a tailor-made programme for 250 new apprentices per year, with the cooperation of the MTA.”

The Apprentice Pathways are being developed through the strategic partnership between the AMRC and the MTA and will enable MTA members and other sectors to develop their own talent within a structured framework and allow for individual company requirements at the same time.

Mr Clegg added: “We are consistently as a government looking, as we expand apprenticeships, to make sure that quality goes with quantity. That's not always been the case and one of the most pernicious brakes on our prosperity is the assumption that the only good thing for a young person at the end of their time at school is to go on and do a degree at university.

"We need to give strategic long-term support to those sectors which have for far too long have been overlooked or taken for granted in the boom years of the City of London, through strategic support and partnerships. What's so uplifting about this sector is the way partnership lies at its very heart – partnership between politicians, academia and industry. We have the determination to embark on modern industry strategy to deliver long-term sustainable support to key sectors such as aerospace.”

Graham Dewhurst, Director General of the MTA stated: “The Association has been working with the AMRC Training Centre to develop and secure accreditation for an apprenticeship framework aimed at helping young people progress in advanced manufacturing careers where they will need both engineering skills and commercial acumen.”

The first year of the Pathway will focus on engineering skills but will also introduce elements of business awareness and a foreign language. It would be delivered largely onsite at the AMRC Training Centre.
The second and third years will build on the engineering skills with a Level 3 Technical Certificate but also include a Level 3 NVQ in one of a range of business disciplines (such as sales), further language study, and topics such as import and export law, regulations and international business culture.

Throughout the course, learners would have access to masterclass sessions hosted by MTA members. The intention is for the first year's intake, including around 25 students from Association members, to start in September 2013.

Alison Bettac, director of training at the AMRC Training Centre commented: “There is an increasing demand on employers to grow their own talent in disciplines which are often hard to fill due to the specific requirements of the role. This initiative will help meet that demand.”

MTA
www.mta.org.uk

AMRC
www.amrc.co.uk

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