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Ross Brawn opens new MTC facility in Oxford
Motorsport chief and former apprentice, Ross Brawn OBE, has officially opened the new Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) apprentice training centre, based at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon.
The new centre, which is managed by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), is a partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Science & Technology Facilities Council. Both organisations have a history of apprentice training in science and engineering stretching back more than 70 years.
Training at the facility is being delivered by MTC Apprenticeships, replicating its industry-leading training centre in Coventry, and will provide training to hundreds of apprentices in the new hub.
Ross Brawn OBE has officially opened the new Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) Training Centre, which is run by The MTC / Picture: The MTC
Ross Brawn, who is currently managing director of the Formula 1 motor sports division and began his career as an apprentice with UKAEA, said: “I am truly delighted to be present at the opening of Oxfordshire Advanced Skills and back where it all began for me as a young apprentice at the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
“My time here provided me with the skills and experience I needed to go out into the wider engineering world and laid the foundation for the career path I have pursued. Apprentices are our next generation of designers, engineers and global problem solvers and the importance of advanced skills training and this facility in the modern world has never been so important.”
OAS aims to develop the next generation of engineers to support the future skills needs of businesses across Oxfordshire, the Thames Valley and the surrounding area – one of the UK’s high-tech hotspots.
2020 intake: 100 apprentices will be recruited at the MTC-run Oxfordshire Advanced Skills in Abingdon / Picture: The MTC
David Martin, director of Oxfordshire Advanced Skills, added, “The vision was an employer-led skills hub that would provide high quality training contextualised by being delivered in the workplace, but OAS is so much more than that. We have created something very special here that has the potential to impact careers and business performance for decades to come.”
Work has completed on the new 3,800 sq metre training centre at UKAEA Culham with the first cohort of apprentices starting their journey in September this year. Using some of the UK’s most advanced equipment, it will provide more than 350 apprentices a year with sought after technical skills for the local economy and the fundamentals they need to succeed in their future careers. The centre is looking to recruit 100 apprentices to start in September 2020.
The new centre is furnished with industry-standard equipment, covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines.