College and Industry Partnership to Develop Aeronautical Talent Pool
Dafydd Evans (L), CEO of Grwp Llandrillo Menai, with Rowly Fielder (R), Engineering Director of Babcock Aerospace in front of the Apprentice training team and apprentices in the Hawk T2 Hangar
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Babcock International Group have announced this week that they will be working together to build a local pool of talented aeronautical apprentices. The apprentices will train with Babcock at RAF Valley and study their Aeronautical Engineering qualification at Coleg Menai’s Engineering department.
In a memorandum of understanding, signed earlier this year between Coleg Menai and Babcock, both institutions agreed to work together to train 33 aeronautical engineers over a three-year period until 2020. This commitment will see three cohorts of local youngsters achieving their BTEC Level 3 in Aeronautical Engineering.
Bethan McCrohan from Babcock explained, Historically there has not been a local provider offering the BTEC Level 3 in Aeronautical Engineering and, moving forward, there is a requirement for us to employ personnel with this qualification. By working with Coleg Menai we are firmly committing ourselves to developing a local manning pipeline of suitable engineering talent.
Students who are lucky enough to be accepted onto the training scheme will be employed on Babcock’s new Aviation Technicians Apprentice Scheme. Successful candidates will be given a 2 year fixed term contract and a competitive salary, however the selection process will be tough. Candidates will not only need to excel in the Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations and Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Engineering they will also need to complete a period of work experience with Babcock at RAF Valley.
Dafydd Evans commented: We are delighted to be working with Babcock on this exciting training scheme, not only does this project mean that Coleg Menai extends its existing engineering provision, it also means that there are even more exciting new opportunities for local, welsh speaking young people to become highly-skilled engineers, without having to leave the area.
Babcock’s commitment to developing this new scheme is fantastic news for Anglesey. Coleg Menai currently has a very clear focus on developing its Engineering provision so as to ensure that local people have the skills and qualifications they need to gain employment in one of the Ynys Ynni related developments, or in the wider local Engineering industry.
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