New WMG engineering college proposed by Uni

A new engineering college proposed by the University of Warwick and supported by several major firms could help with a shortage of skills in the area.

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) is the driving force behind the proposal for the engineering college, which is also backed by Jaguar Land Rover, Aero Engine Controls and Arup (an engineering consultancy firm).

Work on the college could start this year for a 2016 opening if given the green light by the Department for Education (DfE).

Following an unsuccessful bid to the DfE earlier this year, WMG have said that they have now received a positive response which will hopefully lead to follow-up bids in the coming months.

The college will be a university technical college (UTC) situated in North Solihull. It follows a first college expected to open on the University’s campus in September.

Benefits to the region’s shortage of skills pertaining to the manufacturing and engineering sectors are expected to be gained from the college’s establishment.

These kinds of sectors need strong workforces with the right skills, especially as they are, in part, helping to rebuild the economy.

Dr Richard Hutchins, chief executive of the WMG Academy Trust, said: “Companies like JLR are expanding so much but they have got an ageing engineering workforce and need young people to come in at the bottom.”

“Whether they come in as an apprentice or at graduate level they want them to have a broader set of skills in terms of problem solving and teamwork and an awareness of how business works. These schools are designed to give people those.”

In joining other UTCs already open or in development, of which there are around 50, the college would cater for 640 students and be modelled on the University’s Coventry scheme. It will cost around £11 million.

The college would be run by WMG and have its curriculum shaped by its three partners, Jaguar Land Rover, Aero Engine Controls and Arup. Solihull Council would be represented on its governing body.