Today’s announcement by Chancellor George Osborne sees the second WMG Academy for Young Engineers (Solihull) named as one of the latest University Technical Colleges to be approved under the government’s academies programme.

Sponsored by Warwick and leading employers, and backed by Solihull Council and a range of local partners, the new school will provide young people aged 14-19 from Birmingham and Solihull the opportunity to study engineering and science in a business-like and business led environment alongside the national curriculum.

The WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull will offer places to 640 students aged 14-19 from the Solihull and Birmingham areas and is scheduled open in a brand new building based in North Solihull in September 2016.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman and Founder of WMG said:

Reaching a younger generation, engaging them in innovative new learning environments and preparing and inspiring them to create the high-value products of tomorrow is the only way that we can ensure the UK’s ability to compete in the global market place for the future. We are delighted to be starting work on opening the second WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Solihull. Across the region we have some of the best companies and supply chains for manufacturing, many of whom are eager to become part of this exciting new approach to education."

“We have worked with our partners to create a truly unique curriculum and learning style that will ensure students across Solihull and Birmingham have access to a bespoke learning experience that not only gives them high-value technical skills but also vital employability and business skills; preparing them for further or higher education, apprenticeships or to move directly into careers and keeping manufacturing knowledge and excellence within the region.”

Key employer partners for the new WMG Academy include Jaguar Land Rover, Controls and Data Services (formerly known as Aero Engine Controls) and Arup, whose input and expertise will shape the curriculum and the project-based learning approach of the new Academy. Pupils will take a problem-solving, practical approach to learning by working on real-world problems, set by the employer partners.

Chief Executive for the WMG Academy Trust, Dr Richard Hutchins said:

“We are delighted to have had the green light from government for our second WMG Academy. The overwhelmingly positive response from employers, students and parents to our first WMG Academy in Coventry has paved the way for us to develop a second one in Solihull. There is a clear desire from both local and global employers to find employable young people with both technical and business skills."

"They realise that they have a role to play within this, which starts within education. Our goal is to enable local students from across Birmingham and Solihull to access to the same high-quality, innovative teaching we will be providing in Coventry; giving them the chance to gain technical qualifications alongside the national curriculum and gaining important business skills such as team-work, problem-solving and leadership.”

WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull will deliver a business-led and business-like education focussed on engineering and applied digital technology for young people aged 14-19 in the local area.Students will benefit from an imaginative and personalised approach. Each student will be able to progress at a rate that suits their individual learning styles and enables them to focus on achieving positive outcomes.

For any further queries contact Alison Rowan, Marketing and Communications Manager, WMG Academy for Young Engineers on a dot rowan at warwick dot ac dot uk.