The voice of business in the Tees region | 99
Engineering the skills businesses need
B
uilding the right skills in a workforce is
one of the most important ingredients
for a business’s success.
And Middlesbrough College’s higher
education offering – including HNC and
HND courses – is designed with both
learners and businesses in mind.
Higher National Certificates (HNCs)
and Diplomas (HNDs) in engineering
are vocationally orientated qualifications
specifically designed to provide practical,
industry-related skills to both college
leavers and those already working in a job
who require new skills.
Typically, learners follow a three-year
trajectory – starting with a one-year HNC
course, moving to HND and then finally
on to BEng Hons courses, awarded by the
Open University.
So, how can these specialist higher
education courses engineer the skills your
business needs to increase productivity,
improve competencies and futureproof your
workforce?
Tailor training to suit your business
HNCs offer great value to employers and
employees alike through the provision of
vocationally focused skills training which is
specific to a particular career.
Courses are developed in consultation
with businesses across the region, meaning
lessons reflect real employer needs.
As well as classroom-based theory
lessons, learners also spend time in the
college’s £20m STEM Centre where they
are trained on real industry equipment.
Northern Skills Group (NSG), the college’s
training and apprenticeship arm, works with
more than 2,000 employers in the North-
East and Yorkshire to tailor training to meet
their needs.
The courses are flexible and fit around
your business
Unlike many degrees, HNC and HND
courses can be flexible, meaning less
impact on day-to-day business operations.
One Teesside business working with
Middlesbrough College to harness local
talent is Middlesbrough-based Labman
Automation.
Labman manufactures customised
robotic solutions for industrial, medical
and laboratory applications – and with a
demanding clientele, new recruits need to
hit the ground running.
Through its partnership with Northern
Skills Group, Labman recruits a cohort of
apprentices from the college every year
who then progress onto HNC and HND
courses – with many also going on to
study top-up degrees through the college’s
partnership with the Open University.
Labman’s Sarah Bright praised the
flexibility and ease of the college’s Higher
Education courses for the success of its
programme.
She said: “For many of the people we
recruit, the university route isn’t for them
– they prefer to be hands-on and earn
alongside their studies.
“Apprentices are at the heart of
our businesses and through HNC and
HND courses they can forge long and
successful careers with Labman and build
the skills our business needs.
“It’s a great balance between higher
education and on-the-job learning – both
really complement each other – and for us, it
really is the best route for upskilling our staff
and building that pipeline of future skills.”
Sarah is calling on other employers to
take advantage of higher education training
through Middlesbrough College.
“We have a great relationship with the
college and its tutors – they’re so helpful
and make everything easy for us. We have
definitely reaped the rewards.”
Help is on hand
Whether it’s guidance on how to tackle
training staff, help in securing funding or
advice on navigating the law, Northern Skills
Group can lead the way.
Steph Coleman, executive director of
business and partnerships at Northern
Skills Group, said: “Through our extensive
network of businesses, we understand the
pain points businesses face in building a
skilled workforce – which is why we work so
closely to break down those barriers.
“Our expert trainers, most of whom come
from industry backgrounds, use some of the
best facilities in the country in which to give
learners the skills that employers demand.”
Northern Skills Group is keen to meet with businesses
across the region and find out what their training
challenges are and how it and Middlesbrough College can
offer support. For an informal chat, call 03453 40 40 40 or
email [email protected].