22 October 2008
Great Sankey High School and RAC officially open Automotive
Training Centre
A state-of-the-art Automotive Training Centre at Great Sankey
High School has been officially opened yesterday (20th October) by
Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and
Helen Southworth, MP for Warrington South.
Delegates from the main partner organisations, including the
RAC, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Warrington
Collegiate and Warrington Borough Council, attended a ceremony to
mark the opening of the centre, which aims to address skills
shortages in the region.
The aim of the centre is to give pupils a head start in the
automotive industry through vocational training. It will provide
students with the opportunity to gain an Institute of Motor
Industry recognised Technical Certificate, which enables them to
work towards an Engineering Diploma if they continue with training
until the age of 19.
The NWDA provided funding support of £250,000 for the centre as
part of the Agency’s commitment to help develop intermediate and
higher skills of the region’s workforce and create linkages with
local and regional employers.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:
“The Northwest is home to over 450 automotive companies, of
which 200 are major automotive supply chain companies, with a
combined annual turnover of £9 billion. As one of the
Northwest’s priority sectors, it is vital that the region’s
automotive industry is equipped with the highly skilled employees
that it needs for continued growth.
The Automotive Training Centre will address the current skills
shortage in the sector at 14-19 level, providing students with
relevant and targeted vocational training and creating new career
and learning opportunities.”
The RAC will provide an automotive engineering trainer to
deliver practical lessons as part of the school’s curriculum, in
addition to providing the latest vehicles and equipment.
Alan Yates, Head Teacher at Great Sankey High School, said:
“The Automotive Skills Centre signals the start of an exciting
collaboration between Great Sankey High School, the RAC and the
NWDA. This partnership will provide a blueprint of good practice
for the delivery of the new Applied Learning Diplomas, the
establishment of sustainable education/industry partnerships as
well as the enhancement of the engineering capabilities of the
school to a level unsurpassed in the Northwest, if not
nationally.
By working together with blue chip companies, Great Sankey High
School will contribute to the regional development and growth of
careers, skills and opportunities within the automotive engineering
sector.”
Damian O’ Connor, the RAC’s Head of Technical Services Delivery,
said:
“We hope to attract students who would not normally think of
applying for jobs in the automotive industry and to demonstrate
that the initiative can open up opportunities in a wide variety of
automotive engineering roles, such as vehicle systems and
manufacturing.
The School will equip students with a broad skill set for the
future by offering hands-on training and incorporating new
technical subjects – such as electronics and software programming –
at an early point in their career development.”
Other partners involved in the initiative include West Cheshire
College, Fiord Getrag, Liverpool John Moores University and
Connexions.
ends
For further information please contact Sarah Moston, Press
Officer on 01925 400552 or 07810 528 471 or Sarah.Moston@nwda.co.uk
For further information and to view all press releases visit us
at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the
economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is
responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging
investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life