West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium awards £20,000 to WMG Academy
The West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium (WMMC) has awarded £20,000 to support the development of the WMG Academy for Young Engineers.
The funding will be used to support student recruitment activities and to further embed business practice and regional businesses at the heart of the WMG Academy curriculum.
The Academy, which will be built on land adjacent to Westwood Academy in Coventry, will open its doors to the first intake of pupils in September 2014. A taster event is planned for prospective students on Saturday 29 June, 2013, at the University of Warwick.
Catering for pupils aged 14-19 with a passion for engineering, the WMG Academy will deliver the national curriculum with a unique programme of study with input and expertise from major employers. The Academy’s partners include University of Warwick, Jaguar Land Rover, National Grid, Prodrive and SCC.
Director of the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Richard Hutchins said he was delighted to receive support from the WMMC.
He said: “This is great news. We are at a very exciting stage with the Academy, architects plans are being drawn up for the building, we are appointing a principal and planning our first taster event for prospective pupils. It is fantastic to get this support from the West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium.”
Lorraine Holmes, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium, said: “It is vital that we do more to generate the engineers of the future so that we can close the skills gap that is currently holding parts of our manufacturing sector back.
“The WMG Academy has an important role to play in this and will be a fantastic hotbed of talent, technology and innovation...a real draw to getting young people excited about industry.
“We also have to ensure that the engineers produced boast the necessary skills to immediately benefit employers and the only way we can achieve this is by engaging with more UK manufacturers and getting them to play a role in the courses and training ultimately provided.”
WMMC is committed to helping manufacturers grow and is responsible for delivering the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the West Midlands, North West and North East.
To find out more about the WMG Academy for Young Engineers visit www.wmgacademy.org.uk
Notes to editors
For more information please contact Kelly Parkes-Harrison, Press and Communications Manager, University of Warwick, k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk, 02476 150868, 07824 540863
