Local schools career advisors wowed by the Training Centre
A group of careers advisors from local area schools recently attended an open day to learn more about what the AMRC Training Centre can offer their students. The day commenced with a short presentation from director of training, Alison Bettac, followed by a tour of the centre.
Alison Bettac said: It's imperative that school careers advisors are well informed about career choices for their students, and that's why visits to the AMRC Training Centre are really useful for them. We identified some great areas yesterday that will support them in their work and will no doubt benefit the students and ultimately, the employers that we serve.
The advisors were unanimously impressed as they undertook a tour of the building - which took in the shop floor facilities (from the advanced CNC cells to standard tooling equipment), welding bays, electronics workshop, virtual reality suite (which includes virtual welding machines), as well as the new robotics and metallurgy workshops where apprentices are testing the brakes to be used on the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car (SSC) using spectrography and hardness testing equipment.
Along the way, the advisors engaged with the first cohort of Training Centre apprentices, hearing first-hand of their experiences as they near the completion of their training. Two of the apprentices that the advisors spoke to were Madeleine Kearney and Bethany Cousins, who gave a detailed account of being female engineering apprentices in a male dominated environment.
I would urge any female pupils, with an interest in STEM subjects, to give the AMRC Training Centre some serious consideration when weighing up their post school options. Since I started my apprenticeship in October I have been learning the basics on the machines, making practice pieces with a decreasing tolerance for progression, by reducing/increasing the speeds and feeds," Cousins said.
"My first month at the Training Centre was amazing and I learnt lots of new skills. Its a different working environment to what Ive worked in before with new learning styles, but one where I feel very comfortable. I feel proud to be a woman in engineering, and have met a lot of friends along the way.
Following the tour, in a question and answers session, Alex Migali, Sheffield Councils service improvement manager for teaching, learning & assessment explained to the advisors: You have now seen all of the AMRC Training Centres excellent state of the art facilities, it is now up to you to tell your students about it and the progression routes for them in engineering.
The Training Centre has a series of Schools Insight Days scheduled over the coming months. The days are for students and teachers and will explain the options and initiatives on offer for young people in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related industries, as well as showcasing the centres facilities.
The first insight day is on Wednesday 30 April 2014, 9.30am 12.30pm. Go to www.amrctraining.co.uk/en/6/what-s-on for more information.