Industry experts wanted as In-Comm creates 10 new jobs to meet apprentice rush

In-Comm Training, which operates Technical Academies in Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Aldridge, is looking to recruit a number of tutors, lecturers and assessors to help it meet demand from engineering and manufacturing firms seeking to develop the engineers of the future and to improve the skills of existing staff.

The positions cover mechanical engineering, electrical, health and safety and fork lift truck, with each candidate expected to be experienced in their chosen field so they can pass on valuable industry knowledge to learners.

“2018 is set to be major year for the business, with the number of apprentices we can train rising to 650 and the number of upskilling opportunities we are expected to deliver to more than 2000,” said Bekki Phillips, joint managing director of In-Comm Training.

“After the recent £7.5 million investment in our centres in Aldridge and Bridgnorth, now is the time to make sure the academies are being fully utilised and we’ve had a great reaction from local businesses keen to make the best use of the facilities and our technology.

“In order to make sure we can cope with demand, we now need to increase our team of tutors/assessors and lecturers by 25 per cent and that means recruiting ten new members of staff.

“Lots of industry expertise is crucial as we want our learners to benefit from people who have ‘been there and done it’ and can make the training as relevant as possible. It’s an approach that seems to be working, with 86 per cent of our apprentices going on to secure their qualifications compared with a national average of just 68 per cent.”

In-Comm Training, which is the only independent training provider in the West Midlands with an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating, currently offers more than 40 different trailblazer apprenticeships, covering anything from mechanical engineering and machining to toolmaker and mechatronics maintenance.

The company works with a number of technical partners to give apprentices the opportunity to learn at three state-of-the-art technical academies featuring the latest CNC zones, fluid power technology, metrology, robotics and CAD/CAM suites.

“Having the three locations is great for meeting the geographic needs of manufacturers in Shropshire and the Black Country,” added Bekki.

“A lot of firms don’t want their staff travelling too far and we’ve listened to this and created a hub and spoke model. It’s the same outstanding teaching and facilities, just delivered across sites in Aldridge, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.”