Council supports In-Comm Training with new technical academy launch

27th January 2023

Telford & Wrekin Council has helped to pave the way for a new £3m technical training academy which has officially opened this week.

In-Comm Training, which already operates two highly successful facilities in the Black Country and Shrewsbury, is looking to train more than 350 apprentices and upskill 2500 existing workers at its T54 centre over the next twelve months.

The council’s business support team, Enterprise Telford, helped In-Comm to find a Telford site which met their needs, identifying a building at T54 as the perfect location for the new academy.

The council-owned premises was brought to the market for redevelopment through the Telford Land Deal - a partnership between Telford & Wrekin Council, Homes England and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership – and the deal accelerated the development of this new purpose-built facility.

The programme brings forward former new town sites set aside for development, de-risks them and provides shovel ready land which can be developed for employment and residential use.

In addition, Enterprise Telford also supported In-Comm with a successful application for Business Growth Programme (BGP) funding.

The funding, totalling £99,999, has been used to renovate the building as part of the redevelopment which has delivered 20,000 sq. ft of new manufacturing training space.

It has also helped the business to purchase new equipment and invest in state-of-the-art technology, spanning from the latest CNC machines, robotics, fluid power and material testing to welding, electrical, lathes, millers, CAD/CAM and metrology equipment.

Rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’, In-Comm is now one of the UK’s leading providers of engineering apprenticeships, training, upskilling and business services, working across more than 10 sectors and with over 450 different companies.

A team of 20 expert trainers – all with considerable experience in industry – will be on hand to guide the engineers of the future and deliver best practice courses that will help local companies futureproof employees for years to come at the new base.

The aim is to create a vibrant learning environment that leverages the capabilities of academia, employers, and higher education – all geared towards providing high quality training opportunity with clear pathways to skilled jobs in automotive, advanced engineering, aerospace, construction, medical and renewables for example.

There will also be a strong focus on delivering upskilling and managed services from Telford, as well as expert consultancy on safety and quality compliance, leadership and management and continuous improvement.

In-Comm will mark its official launch with an Open Day on 26 January where senior delegates, including Selina Graham (the High Sheriff of Shropshire) and Rachel Laver (Marches LEP), will be given the opportunity to meet learners, trainers and the management team, as well as tour the expansive facility.

Councillor Eileen Callear (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Visitor Economy, Employment and Skills said: “We are delighted that our business support team has firstly helped In-Comm find a building within Telford which meets their needs and then supported them with a successful BGP funding application which has made a significant contribution to the redevelopment of the site. 

“The launch of this new facility is key to training the next generation of engineers in Telford and Wrekin which will create new employment opportunities for decades to come.

“In-Comm is one of the leading providers of engineering apprenticeships in the UK and we’ll continue to spread the news amongst our business community about the exciting apprenticeship and training offers and the value this new facility will bring to Telford.”

Gareth Jones, Managing Director for In-Comm Training, said: “Telford has been crying out for a dedicated manufacturing training centre for years.

 “Our approach is very much employer-led, so we decided to act on this by investing almost £3million into taking on the building on T54 and creating a truly world class technical academy for the thousands of manufacturers operating in the town and county.

“Our manufacturers have a major role to play in this and we are using the opening as a rallying call to get more strategic partners involved in how we deliver training in the area.”

You can find out more about Enterprise Telford and support for businesses here.

For further information about In-Comms, please visit www.in-comm.co.uk or follow @incomm_training