The Automotive Academy is to launch a new Re-employment Training Programme, aimed at those made redundant from MG Rover, its supply chain and also Peugeot during 2005.
The programme will be launched on Tuesday 31 January at an open day at South Birmingham College’s Digbeth Auditorium in Birmingham city centre. Up to 100 candidates will then participate in a pilot programme funded by the Learning and Skills Council. Further programmes, which are free to candidates, will be run and the programme will also be considered for rolling out nationally, subject to the success of the pilot and funding arrangements.
The Academy is working alongside Job Centre Plus which will send information to qualifying people in the West Midlands, including over 2,000 former employees of Longbridge, its former suppliers, and Peugeot’s Ryton facility.
The Re-employment Training Programme is a 15-week training package resulting in the award of an Academy ‘Skills Passport’. Comprehensive training in engineering operations is supplemented by the Academy’s Business Improvement Techniques Level 2 course, which includes live assembly operations and a visit to a ‘best practice’ company. This will prove to potential employers that the candidate possesses all the key skills to go straight into any production environment. Candidates will also be guaranteed a job interview with the possibility of working for a number of major automotive manufacturers.
Academy chief executive, Dr Alan Begg, said, ‘In the wake of recent highly publicised job losses, the Academy is striving to retain essential skills within the industry, as well as raise the skills and expertise of those actively seeking re-employment.
‘The Academy’s carefully structured programme will address this need. The candidates will walk away with a Skills Passport proving they have all the skills in lean tools and techniques making them significantly more valuable to prospective employers.
‘We’d encourage anyone previously employed at Longbridge or Ryton, as well as within the supply chain, to take advantage of this exciting opportunity.’
For those interested in joining this free programme, please contact MG Rover Employer Team on 0121 452 5517 by Thursday 26 January.
