Foundry training returns to new manufacturing centre

Training in casting and foundry related processes returned to a dedicated £4 million foundry training centre in the UK for the first time in over a quarter of a century recently.

The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME) hosted a large UK automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) at the University of Wolverhampton’s new National Foundry Training Centre (NFTC) in Dudley Port, West Midlands. 

The National Foundry Training Centre is part of the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS) Hub which represents an investment of £12.6m in skills development in the Casting and Metalforming industries, with the creation of three bespoke training centres around the Black Country.  The National Foundry Training Centre will have design, moulding and melting facilities to enable practical as well as foundry training at all levels.

Over the course of three days, Andrew Turner FICME, Business Development Manager for ICME and Richard Heath Prof MICME, hosted a group of twelve Costing and Purchasing Engineers from Jaguar Land Rover to present a foundation course in high pressure diecasting.

The course included an overview of the range of casting processes as well as visits to two local foundries, Sarginsons Industries Ltd in Coventry and Amtek Aluminium in Kidderminster.

This was the first group of people to be trained in the new NFTC and the first of several courses agreed with Jaguar Land Rover as they seek to improve the knowledge of their employees in foundry processes.

Ian Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive at the ECMS, said: “We are able to arrange bespoke training courses on a range of foundry, castings and Metalforming related subjects for any type of business, including foundries, engineering companies’ suppliers and customers in addition to the regular apprenticeship courses that are on offer.” 

ECMS is a collaboration between the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, University of Wolverhampton, Dudley College, Cast Metals Federation, Confederation of British Metalforming and the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers.

Employers or potential apprentices should contact Trevor Codner at the ECMS on 0800 953 3222 or 01902 321663.

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.