Lord Kenneth Baker, Baron of Dorking, British politician, former Conservative Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, visited the WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Solihull on Tuesday (15 November), to show his support for the work of the University Technical College.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has highlighted that the UK will need a million more engineers and technicians by 2020, which will require doubling the number of engineering apprentices every year. Under the leadership of Kate Tague, Executive Principal of the WMG Academies Trust, the WMG Academy in Solihull is playing a key role in addressing this need by creating a crucial link between national and local employers, parents and universities.

Lord Baker said: “I’m pleased to be visiting the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull, which is the 2^nd UTC supported by WMG and Jaguar Land Rover. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen, all of the pupils are enthusiastic and excited about studying engineering. With the need for more skilled engineers, the Academy gives these pupils the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge progressing into a higher apprenticeship, university or a job. I wish all the pupils good luck in their studies.”

Students from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers are set to further their studies after successfully securing places at Coventry’s universities.

Based in Canley and opened in 2014, the WMG Academy for Young Engineers has been recognised as an exemplary University Technical College and is transforming the lives of local students by educating the region’s new generation of engineers as well as providing Coventry and regional companies with fresh engineering talent.

Ten local students starting their university studies locally this autumn are from the WMG Academy’s first graduating class, which saw a 100% pass rate in engineering.

The new WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Solihull opened its doors to its first pupils on Wednesday 7^th of September. However, it had to open those doors a little bit wider when Jaguar Land Rover provided the Academy with their very own Jaguar F-Pace car.

The F-Pace was recently declared the fastest ever selling Jaguar in the company’s history and it is sure to provide powerful inspiration and enviable opportunities for students studying at the engineering focused Academy.

WMG Academy for Young Engineers is today celebrating the success of their Year 13 students; their first cohort to graduate with a 100% pass rate in engineering and over a quarter of its students gaining places at Russell Group Universities

Students have achieved great success in their academic and vocational qualifications with 55% achieving A*-C pass rate.

Jo Lopes, Head of Technical Excellence for Jaguar Land Rover, Chair of Governors at the WMG Academy said:

I am delighted with the first cohort results. Our vision for a business-like and business-led approach has yielded good results with 100% pass rate in engineering in both Principal Learning and BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering. Students are going on to a range of superb destinations from Russell Group universities through to advanced level apprenticeships.”

As the first cohort of students from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, in Coventry, complete their studies, 35 students have already secured apprenticeships and jobs in industry.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has shown that the UK will need a million more engineers and technicians by 2020. That will require doubling the number of engineering apprentices every year. The WMG Academy for Young Engineers is tackling this problem by creating a link between employer, parent and university.

It is credit to the teachers at the Academy, and the students themselves, that these 35 students have secured places on apprenticeship schemes and jobs in global automotive companies, and SMEs, as well as a plethora of other industries. Some of the companies include Audi, BMW, Covcon, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes, National Grid, RBS and Tata Technologies, as well as WMG at the University of Warwick.

WMG’s SME Group is giving food for thought, with two exciting events scheduled for next week.

Internet of Things (IoT) Midlands

On Tuesday 12 July, the 12^th Internet of Things (IoT) Midlands UK event will take place. The theme for this event is Data and Security. There’ll be an opportunity to network with the SME team and other delegates, as well as hear from key speakers including: Steve Robbin, MD of Kairos CyberTec Ltd; Hugh Boyes Principal Fellow at WMG’s Cyber Security Centre, and Craig Heath, Working Group Chair IoT Security Foundation.

To register visit: https://www.meetup.com/IoTMidlands

WMG was pleased to welcome 22 girls from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, to a special ‘Magnificent Women and their Flying Machines’ event, in celebration of National Women in Engineering Day.

The event was set up by the Women's Engineering Society (WES) to commemorate the work of early women engineering pioneers during the First World War. At the workshop the girls were tasked with designing and building aircraft wings, taking inspiration from the work of these women.

Shaheen Charlwood, Senior Teaching Fellow at WMG, explained: “The event was designed to inspire the next generation of female engineers, and in turn encourage them to consider engineering as a possible career.

This week on Tuesday 21 June 2016 the leader of Solihull Council and key regional businesses came together to show their support for the new WMG Academy for Young Engineers opening in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull in September.

This is the 2nd WMG Academy for Young Engineers, which is unique in their approach to education as they provide the opportunity to gain a variety of skills, which employees are seeking, in addition to core curriculum subjects, with the aim of developing a new generation of young people who are motivated to succeed. These additional opportunities significantly contribute to the improvement of education for students who desire a career in engineering.

WMG at the University of Warwick has launched the ‘Class of 2016’, an exciting new initiative to showcase its world class education programmes, and the opportunities they offer people at any stage of their career.

WMG’s Chairman, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, is passionate about education and ensuring that industry has the right skills base on which to sustain its future.

He explains: ‘I started out as an apprentice, and it is that grounding that has shaped my whole career. I worked my way up through the ranks, so I know first-hand what it takes to work hard to achieve career goals. I feel strongly that everyone, at any stage of their career, should have the opportunity to develop their skills, which is why workplace learning and technical education is at the very core of WMG.”

The first 6th form cohort of students from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, have presented their ‘TeenTech’ project work, as part of their Principal Engineering qualification, today Tuesday 22 March, in a special TEDx style event at WMG, University of Warwick.

‘TeenTech’ is an award scheme which highlights the wide range of career possibilities in Science, Engineering and Technology. Founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson to help the next generation understand their true potential and the real opportunities available in the contemporary STEM workplace. The Patron of the scheme is the Duke of York.

The Academy students were set the challenge of creating an innovative product, concept idea or research. Each team worked together to create an innovation log which outlined their design and development through to final solution.