WE OFFER TRAINING FOR LEVELS 2, 3 AND 4 ENGINEERING APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS
Located at Culham Campus near Abingdon, OAS is a partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The two organisations have a history of apprentice training in science and engineering stretching back more than 70 years.
OAS is managed by training provider, MTC Training, the skills arm of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
Specialising in the provision of future skills to the current manufacturing workforce as well as creating the next generation of engineering talent, OAS delivers fully-funded apprenticeships at levels 2, 3 and 4, as well as a range of commercial CPD courses.
Taking an employer-led approach, our programmes are designed in partnership with advanced manufacturing businesses to meet the specific training needs of industry, as well as those of individual learners.
MTC Training is on a mission to create the next generation of engineering talent while upskilling and re-skilling existing workforces to ensure UK advanced manufacturing businesses have the expertise they need to succeed now and in the future.
MTC Training was awarded an overall rating of “Good” at its first full Ofsted inspection in March 2023, in which it achieved an "Outstanding" for two key judgment areas - "Personal Development" and "Behaviour and Attitudes".
Travelling to OASGet a head start in a hi-tech engineering career
Make your engineering dreams a reality with Oxfordshire Advanced Skills.
The aim of OAS is to benefit both employers and the apprentices being trained
- Working with employers to meet their specific training needs;
- Training work-ready apprentices with the competencies expected in the workplace;
- Offering an employer-led, value for money training programme;
- Providing technicians to build regional and UK economic growth.
The range of apprenticeships available has recently been expanded to include two new Level 4 apprenticeships: Automation and Controls, and Space Technician. These qualifications provide learners with extensive knowledge and the specialist skills required to fulfil roles within engineering with a higher level of responsibility.
OAS also offers the Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC).
Welcome to OAS
See inside our advanced engineering training centre.
Phase 1
Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) opened in a newly-fitted building at Culham in September 2019. The first intake of apprentices received training on a range of the latest equipment by then training provider, JTL. Apprentices received training on a suite of high quality equipment used in the hi-tech industrial sector.
Phase 2
The purpose-built OAS Training Centre opened in September 2019, run by training provider MTC Training, has the capacity to train up to 350 apprentices per year. The 3,800 square metre building contains labs and workshops specifically designed for training in engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, robotics and PLCs, vacuum, cryogenics, fluids and control & instrumentation. OAS worked closely with local businesses to ensure the new building’s capabilities met their needs.
Phase 3
OAS ‘Phase 3’ has added over 2,000 square metres to the original building providing space for learners in four additional key industrial sectors: Automation and Controls, Space, Renewable Energy and Nuclear. With a total investment in excess of £30 million, the developments will deliver even more high-quality training in some of the most strategically important sectors to the UK economy. The expansion allows OAS to accommodate a larger number of future engineers, allowing more apprentices to acquire the crucial skills necessary for the growth and success of advanced manufacturing in the UK.
Culham Campus
Oxfordshire Advanced Skills is based at Culham Campus near Abingdon.
Culham Campus is a key location for hi-tech innovation and enterprise in Oxfordshire, employing approximately 2,000 people. It is home to world-class energy research at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, the UK’s national fusion lab. It also hosts around 40 businesses in areas including aerospace, battery technology, autonomous vehicles and biotechnology.
Culham Campus is owned and managed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which has recently opened new robotics and materials research centres alongside its fusion research laboratory. Oxfordshire Advanced Skills is the latest development for the site and there are exciting plans for more new buildings to substantially increase commercial activity at Culham.
Find out more: Culham Campus