Issue 51 | Page 11

Gestamp Tallent ’ s head of Academy and research facility Paul James ( right ) with Gestamp ’ s Aycliffe plant director Jonathan Phillips .
BY MARTIN WALKER

AUTO MANUFACTURER GESTAMP INVESTS IN NEW TALLENT ACADEMY FOR EMPLOYEES

Car parts manufacturer Gestamp is investing in a new Academy which will include a wellbeing space for staff and focus on upskilling current workforce as well their future apprentices .

The engineering firm has already invested in the Tallent Academy , a 4,300 sq ft facility which sits adjacent to its huge factory in Newton Aycliffe .

Gestamp – which makes chassis and body components for the most main vehicle manufacturers – will include in this Academy research and development capabilities , robot cells , specialist welding bays , tooling facilities , a medical area , physiotherapy suites , counselling rooms and an ‘ R & R ’ wellbeing zone .
Gestamp says it will open up the new development to local support groups , while other local businesses will also be able to use the facility to train up their staff .
Jonathan Phillips , plant director at Gestamp in Aycliffe , said : “ We aim to provide a world class training and research facility to support Gestamp UK ’ s operational and strategic objectives .
“ By investing in the wellbeing of our people , facilities and future technologies we aim to provide a lean , agile and flexible facility to provide a safe , sustainable location to allow employees to grow and impact our overall plant efficiency in all key performance indicators .
“ Our people are the architects of our success , so reinforcing this facility like this is a hugely positive step forward for the business .”
The idea behind Gestamp ’ s Tallent Academy was created six years ago , and has already been used for training purposes alone .
During that time , more than 470 apprentices have completed their training there in a variety of areas including technical , manufacturing , processing , welding and fabrication , press shop and quality .
Gestamp has created a training planner for the business to focus on specific areas , including HSE , cranes , logistics , quality , welding , technologies , leadership , administration and further education .
The further development of the Academy will also help Gestamp Aycliffe to promote the personal and professional development of employees , which then brings about the fulfilment of other business objectives .
Now , there are more than 70 training sessions held every month , with more than 250 learners completing 2,500 hours of training .
Paul James , head of Gestamp ’ s Tallent Academy , explained : “ We want to create the feeling of it being a friendly and relaxed area very much detached from the heavy manufacturing environment of our main factory .
“ We want to strengthen our position as the apprenticeship of choice for industry in our region and to become an even more attractive proposition for local businesses , as well as training providers , and for this reason it is essentially a development prospectus to create a full offering for our employees as well as the wider business community .”
Gestamp already works with Teesside University , Hartlepool College and South Durham UTC in the training of future employees , and aims to strengthen those ties as well as create new links with training and FE organisations . As well as supplying parts to Nissan , Gestamp also helps to train some of the firm ’ s apprentices .
Jonathan Phillips added : “ We have to continually evolve , particularly with our research and development .
“ Products are constantly changing to keep up with new technology . As we need to manufacture parts using different materials , our training has to complement that and our manufacturing processes have to adapt .
“ The Tallent Academy is very much futureproofing the business , but we want other local companies to benefit from this – so we ’ re inviting them to come and use the facility at no cost to them .
“ We believe by creating a local training ecosystem , by improving the skills of our existing staff and training future workers , we will all benefit as a region .”
Any businesses or organisations interested in getting involved in Gestamp ’ s Tallent Academy can contact Paul James by email : paul . james2 @ uk . gestamp . com .
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 11