Benefits claimants are being given the chance to go from the dole queue to fully-qualified space engineers in just six months.
In-Comm Training, which operates two state-of-the-art technical academies in the West Midlands, has created a fast-track course for highly sought-after UK manufacturing jobs.
The first-of-its-kind scheme in one of the most deprived areas of the country will see the jobless receive a mix of theoretical and practical technical training.
At the end of the course each will receive a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering and Technologies and an interview to gain full-time employment at Collins Aerospace’s Wolverhampton facility.
The Department for Work and Pensions has also agreed to continue to pay each individual’s benefits for the duration of the course.
Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training, said: “The aerospace industry has seen first-hand the impact of the current skills shortage, a skills shortage that has been exacerbated by Covid.
“With the niche skills required the talent isn’t readily available and the only way to overcome this is to create the next generation of engineers.”
Aeronautical engineering firm Collins Aerospace, based in the heart of the Black Country, designs, develops, manufactures and supports a range of solutions for aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and business-jet operators.
Its Wolverhampton base is the headquarters for high-tech actuation and flight control systems that are made for commercial and military aircraft and helicopters.
There are now plans to draft a second wave of recruits in June with the aim of training up 65 fully-qualified engineers by the end of next year.
The UK Space Agency, the organisation responsible for the British space programme, is supporting the development of three rocket launch sites – in the Shetland Islands, Sutherland, Scotland, and Newquay Airport, Cornwall.
Cathy Taylor, Business Development Manager with the Black Country Jobcentres, said: “We have been promoting the bespoke training programme, which delivers an intensive six months of learning, leading to a full-time job opportunity and well-paid career with the global aerospace supplier.
“This is a unique opportunity for motivated jobseekers, who already hold a level 2 in maths and aspire to obtain a Level 3 qualification in Engineering and Technologies and gain
employment in the manufacturing sector.”
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “It will provide the sector with the workforce talent required to increase productivity and fuel growth.”
