STUDENTS at North Bromsgrove High Schooll are getting ready to swap the classroom for a ‘real world’ experience with the launch of an employer-backed scheme designed to revolutionise the future of engineering in the UK.
The school in partnership with the Birmingham-based multi-disciplinary engineering solutions company, adi Group, has unveiled a pre-apprenticeship qualification for 14 to 16-year-olds which took in its first contingent of 12 students on September 15.
Aimed at those students potentially looking toward a hands-on engineering career, the pre-apprenticeship qualification will offer practical experience and employability skills.
Occupying ten per cent of their overall GCSE curriculum time, the students will spend half-a-day per week in a live workshop at adi’s headquarters in Kings Norton.
The pre-apprenticeship is the first of its kind in the UK, and will help to close the skills gap by introducing and inspiring young people to the exciting opportunities offered by the engineering sector.
Dave Hadley-Pryce, headteacher of North Bromsgrove High School, said: “We have put together this new qualification as part of our efforts to respond to a growing need in education to prepare students for the broad spectrum of career opportunities available to them after they leave school.
Alan Lusty, CEO of adi Group, said: “The UK is known for its world class engineering, and we’re committed to inspiring the next generation of hands-on engineers in order to help address the skills gap.
“What’s more, we believe our pre-apprenticeship qualification is creating a comprehensive model which other schools, employers and members of BITC will be able to replicate. Our hope is that in due course, similar qualifications will be implemented across the country, raising youth interest in engineering throughout the UK.
Visit www.adiltd.co.uk for more information.
