Chris Skidmore was visiting the new Oxfordshire Advanced Skills apprentice training centre at the Culham Science Centre near Abingdon.
Image: (From left) Steve Hill, OAS phase 1 manager, first year apprentices Harry Oliver and Kaream Pennant, Universities minister Chris Skidmore and Paul Rowlett, Emma Johnstone and Colin Gordon of the AMTC
He said: "Places like this are providing the skills our country needs for the future. They are training both the next generation of nuclear researchers, and apprentices for businesses across Oxfordshire and beyond."
The new operation is a result of Coventry-based Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre having teamed up with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in an effort to deliver training to hundreds of apprentices.
UKAEA has partnered with STFC to form the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training centre to increase the number of trained technicians available to local employers in the region - one of the UK's high-tech hotspots.
Training at the new facility will replicate the industry-leading training centre on the MTC campus at Ansty Park, Coventry. The AMTC has built a reputation for equipping apprentices not only with core engineering skills but also the latest advanced manufacturing techniques.
The new centre will be equipped with industry-standard equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines. The first intake of apprentices will move into the new building in September.
Paul Rowlett, managing director of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, said: “Having an insight into tomorrow’s technology gives us the ability to create engineer up-skilling and apprenticeship programmes to equip industry with a capable workforce. We are delighted to be working with UKAEA and STFC to deliver the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training programme.”
