Hunt Is On For Engineers Of The Future

The Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training centre is on the hunt for more than 100 engineers of the future to fill apprenticeship places, and is planning its first apprentice open evening since the pandemic began.

The apprentices will be part of the centre’s 2022 intake, and will start their training at the 3,800 sq metre training academy at the UK Atomic Energy Authority's site at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon in September.

An open evening to showcase the training facilities will be held at the centre on Wednesday, November 17 with sessions running at 5pm and 6pm. The event will give budding engineers the opportunity to learn about the apprenticeship, and also understand the needs of some of the employers with whom the centre is currently working. Anyone interested should register at https://www.oas.ukaea.uk/open-evenings/

UKAEA has partnered with STFC to form OAS to increase the amount of trained technicians available to local employers in the county - one of the UK's high-tech hotspots. Training at the facility is delivered by MTC Apprenticeships, replicating the MTC’s industry-leading Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry. MTC Apprenticeships has built a rapid reputation for equipping apprentices not only with core engineering skills but also the latest advanced manufacturing techniques.

More than 100 apprentices will begin apprenticeships next year, with a further 100 being recruited at the AMTC in Coventry.

The Abingdon centre is kitted out with industry-standard equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines.

David Hughes MBE, managing director of MTC Apprenticeships, said: “Having an insight into tomorrow’s technology gives us the ability to create training programmes and apprenticeships to provide industry with a capable workforce. We are delighted to be working with UKAEA and STFC to deliver the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training programme. There is a clear synergy and shared vision across our organisations.”