The AMRC Training Centre, part of the University of Sheffield, a Russell Group University, partners with leading companies such as Siemens, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Heineken and McLaren to deliver apprenticeships and training in advanced manufacturing and engineering. The Centre’s focus on promoting a culture of ambition and excellence among its apprentices was the driving force behind the Centre joining the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence in 2024.
Run in partnership with specialist awarding organisation NCFE, the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence is a workforce development programme. It empowers educators and leaders to use international best practice to drive excellence in technical education and apprenticeships.
Internationally focused workforce
The AMRC Training Centre benefits from working with a wide variety of employers, from SMEs that are part of large international supply chains to global companies that are recruiting apprentices who could be required to work across international operations.
Rebecca Blackburn, Head of Business Development, Engagement and Contracts at the AMRC Training Centre explains that this is why the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence has played a critical role in helping the Centre deliver for its partners. Rebecca said: “Harnessing international insights and using those insights to help shape the apprentice’s training at the start of their career is really beneficial and supports them as they carve out their career path. It is equipping them with the skills, confidence, and global perspective to thrive in a rapidly changing industry.”
Workforce Development
There is a mixture of educational teams at the AMRC Training Centre from industry specialists through to higher education teaching specialists. A cross section of teams have taken part in the Centre of Excellence training. “It was really interesting and useful to unpick the different expectations and perspectives from academic to industry experience, particularly for the ‘Moving from competence to excellence’ module, and understand where that will lead us in the future development of training programmes”, explains Rebecca.
Following the training, the Centre redesigned part of its Welding curriculum and included past WorldSkills pressure test criteria. This was received well by the apprentices and Rebecca explains this was presented to Ofsted as evidence to demonstrate how the Centre is harnessing and embedding WorldSkills UK’s national and international insights into industry standards to inform its curriculum.
Employers have also been interested in how the Centre is using learnings from WorldSkills UK to enhance the training programmes. As part of the Centre’s Employer Advisory Boards, the organisations it partners with are involved in annually validating the training programmes to ensure the delivery continues to meet the changing needs of industry. Although at an early stage, employers, both SMEs and larger organisations, have been very supportive about the changes brought about by embedding WorldSkills UK insights including the introduction of pressure tests.
Showcasing skills of apprentices
Following the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence training, the AMRC Training Centre has entered some of its Welding apprentices into the WorldSkills UK National Competitions. Rebecca explains that “this has been a fantastic opportunity for the Centre to demonstrate further the skills of its apprentices on a national platform.” The Centre will be seeking to enter apprentices across all engineering programmes in the near future.
About The University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre
The AMRC Training Centre, part of The University of Sheffield, provides the practical and theoretical skills in manufacturing, from advanced apprenticeships through to postgraduate level. It focuses on high-level apprentice and CPD training for sectors such as aerospace, energy and automotive.
