WARWICKSHIRE College’s new building at its Warwick Trident College will soon be producing the engineers of tomorrow.
The £3million state-of-the-art facility teaches apprentices for Jaguar Land Rover and other businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire.
The building – jointly financed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Growth Deal and by Warwickshire College Group – includes engineering workshops and 18 teaching, computer and specialist engineering technology labs tailored to the high quality courses demanded by industry.
Angela Joyce, Group Principal and Chief Executive of the Warwickshire College Group, said the demand to enroll on full-time engineering courses at Warwickshire College Group was up 20 per cent since 2013.
She said: “Jaguar Land Rover is experiencing significant growth and their apprentices at the centre will be working towards different levels whether it is a three or four-year apprenticeship programme or a six-year degree apprenticeship. We are delighted to be working with JLR who are an excellent partner and to be able to support their business growth.
“Just as importantly we are working with SMEs to support their skills requirements; the new Warwick Trident College development will support both global companies and local businesses of all sizes in the region.
“Engineering remains a popular choice for students throughout our sites and our existing facilities are full to capacity which is why this new build is so important.”
Rachael Stewart, of the Jobs & Skills Business Group at the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), said the centre was being built to cope with a 350 per cent growth in demand for engineering apprenticeships at Warwickshire College Group since 2010.
She added: “Coventry and Warwickshire is renowned across the world for advanced manufacturing and engineering and this building in Warwick will help to train the next generation of apprentices to learn the skills they need..”
Coun Izzi Seccombe, CWLEP board director and leader of Warwickshire County Council, said this was the kind of project which the Growth Deal was designed to set-up.
“It is vital we address the skills gap in Coventry and Warwickshire particularly in the engineering sector.
“This new apprenticeship centre will have a major part to play in teaching the practical skills which employers need and it is fantastic to see the building taking shape.”
