Midlands steel firm invests in refurbished training academy

Nottingham-based steelwork contractor Caunton Engineering is set to significantly enhance its training academy as part of a range of activities marking the UK’s National Apprenticeship Week (February 10-16).

The family-owned company, located on the site of the former Moorgreen Colliery in Newthorpe, is one of the UK’s largest single-site structural steelwork contractors. It has been operating the Caunton Academy since 2004.

More than 100 apprentices and graduates have now passed through the academy’s doors since it was first set up to address the industry’s skills shortages in fabrication and welding – with 40 currently having secured long-term employment with the company.

The academy combines both a classroom and a model production line which simulates the actual working production line and industrial environment. A highly trained teaching and assessor team delivers the Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.

Caunton Engineering has now unveiled plans to refurbish the existing academy, located at the heart of the company’s factory floor, by increasing the working area and investing in state-of-the-art machinery reflecting the company’s move towards more robotic and laser-based technologies.

Caunton Engineering Chairman, Simon Bingham, said: “We are passionate about recruiting apprentices and graduates, offering young people the opportunity to take the first step towards a career in the engineering and construction industries.

“The redevelopment of the Caunton Academy is a testament to our long-term commitment to training our future workforce, giving them best possible skills and experience to harness the new technological developments that are transforming our industry.”