In-Comm Training passes the 1000 ‘STEM’ milestone
A specialist training provider is doing its best to improve STEM engagement in Black Country schools after it hosted its latest event.
In-Comm Training, which supports nearly 750 apprentices every year, worked with the Careers and Enterprise Company to entertain Ryders Hayes Community Primary School in Pelsall as part of its commitment to get more young people to consider a career in the engineering and manufacturing sector.
Over 65 Year Six pupils took part in four workshops that got them to create the tallest building, tackle a mechanical engineering challenge and, working with Collins Aerospace, attempt to design and engineer a paper aeroplane that could cover the furthest distance.
The latest events mean In-Comm will have supported over 40 primary and secondary schools across the region in the last twelve months, opening up industry to more than 1000 young people.
“We are very passionate about engagement and making sure we get schools, teachers and their pupils considering possible roles in STEM-related careers,” explained Jayne Guest, Apprenticeship Engagement at In-Comm Training.
“The best way of doing this is to give them access to industrial facilities where they can see, hear and feel what it is like to work in this arena and all the exciting career opportunities that go with it.
“Importantly, it’s not just about showcasing the jobs we’ve got now, but what they may look like in 2030 and the technology that will be driving our economy and society forward.”
Rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’, In-Comm is one of the UK’s leading training providers, working across more than 10 sectors and with over 450 different companies.
It has developed a simple, but effective employer-led approach to bridging the country’s skills gap. This focuses on building strong relationships with companies, listening to their challenges and opportunities and then giving them the opportunity to shape learning opportunities that meet their specific requirements.
Over £7.5m has been invested into the firm’s three Technical Academies at Aldridge and at its Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT) hubs in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.
This gives learners and companies access to advanced engineering and the latest CNC machine technology, metrology, fluid power capability, additive manufacturing and a new tool transfer line.
Jayne concluded: “Working with schools is vital in creating a pipeline of budding engineers and to ensure we create a buzz about industry and the apprenticeships we have to offer…not just now, but for what jobs might look like in 2030.
“Our STEM engagement work is extremely diverse and, part of it, is about getting under-represented groups into industry, including more women and young people from a BAME background. An ‘open door’ policy, where education specialists can arrange a tour of any of our three academies, is playing a major role in this.”
She concluded: “We can’t rely on the Government to solve the skills issue on its own – businesses, training providers and academia all have a part to play in establishing closer working partnerships.”
In-Comm, which is holding its next Open Day at its Aldridge academy, on February 8th, has taken this commitment one step further this year by sponsoring the Express and Star’s annual STEM Challenge, involving over 20 schools from the Black Country and Staffordshire.
The company’s category is Best Operating Model and will see Jayne Guest and other experts visiting each team and assessing their final design and build. This will involve asking a number of questions on what the product does, whilst each team will have to demonstrate how it positively improves people’s emotional wellbeing or mental health.
For further information, please visit www.in-comm.co.uk or follow @incomm_training on twitter.
