South and City College Birmingham launched the Level 3 Engineering Technician Apprenticeship program in September 2019. The course is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain skills as a qualified Engineer through the Apprenticeship pathway.
Based at our state-of-art facilities in Longbridge, the college have invested heavily in the facilities to create a fit-for-purpose training area for trainee engineers. Our first cohort of students come from a range of employers across the Midlands and they are learning the foundation skills they need to progress their future career.
Chris Hayden from the Business Development Team has supported local employers since August last year to identify learners; “This is a really exciting time for the college! Our site in Longbridge holds a significant history for engineering and manufacturing in the region, and we have worked really hard to develop a pathway in partnership with our employers to help develop skills for the future needs of industry”.
“I think we have something very special to offer here at the College. We can deliver training on a flexible basis (weekly attendance) which is something unique for the sector. We also tailor our programs to meet the needs of each employer; whether the apprentice is operating a 3 axis CNC or soldering electrical components, they will learn all the skills they need here”.
Our employers are equally impressed with the new engineering program within the college. HBC Radio-matic have employed James Brain to achieve his Level 3 Engineering Apprenticeship. The company provide specialist products and technical support for wireless remote control systems in the construction and engineering industries.
James started with HBC Radio-matic in July 2018 after completing work experience there whilst in year 10. They were so impressed, he was offered a junior position just a week after leaving school. He started his apprenticeship in 2019. “I really wanted to do an apprenticeship” James explained, “I get to be more employable, as I’m gaining actual experience, rather than just going down the academic route. So far I have really enjoyed learning how the CNC machines work.”
Sharon Evans, Chief Executive had this to say, “We are thrilled to support James with his apprenticeship program through South and City College. HBC Radio-matic have supported 6 apprentices within the business and James will be our 7th. We have found apprentices are essential in building home-grown talent for the business to meet our skills needs, and indeed our previous apprentices have gone on into permanent employment.
“When I started the company 20 years ago, I made a conscious decision to support training and development for our engineers. Not only does this support our business to develop the workforce, but it also benefits our clients by providing engineers with recognised qualifications and skills within industry.”
“For too long we have seen bright and talented students heading to University, only to come out of education and start training from scratch to get into employment. Offering apprenticeships to younger students like James has enables HBC Radio-matic to embed the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to do the job, and they are an asset to the team. A degree isn’t always the best option and I only hope more students choose Apprenticeships over University in future”
“We reached out to South and City College Birmingham this year having had a mixture of experiences from previous training providers, and I have to say the college are a breath of fresh air! They have taken a genuine interest in our business and insured we have the right qualification for the right person. They also invited our supervisors and staff on-site at the College’s new Engineering centre for a tour and to give a full overview of the program, which was very impressive to see!”
“James is enjoying his time at College and we are now looking to recruit another apprentice with South and City College. I would highly recommend their services to other businesses within the sector”.
Study engineering with us. To find out about our courses visit: https://www.sccb.ac.uk/courses/engineering
Welcome to our Engineering Apprentices!
