Businesses backing growth of the West Midlands' high-tech education institute
More than £800,000 of hi-tech equipment has been donated to one of the UK's first institutes of technology since it opened its doors in 2021.
Visitors to the Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology (IoT) at its open day this Saturday, April 22, will be able to see for themselves the work it is doing in equipping young people with the skills that the region's businesses of all sizes urgently need.
The first intake of students at the £22 million institute in Zoological Drive, Dudley, was in September 2021 and it is currently working to attract a fresh intake for its third year.
The institute has three floors with conference facilities, a lecture theatre, its own canteen and all kinds of state-of-the art equipment. It has a team of 38 business support and teaching staff working there with most having come from industry.
"They are a great team and we have some really good lecturers who have spent a lot of time in industry," said managing director Georgina Barnard, who describes the project as "massively ambitious" in an area with a high proportion of young people from deprived backgrounds.
In the first year the institute achieved its key performance indicator target – set by the Department for Education – with 313 learners and is aiming to achieve the second year target of 584 new starters.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a big issue for the IoT in its first two years and Georgina describes it as having been "hard miles" but the number of learners has been steadily growing with a rising number of those on higher technical courses.
"Our main focus is on the local areas, but some of our provision, particularly medical engineering, is attracting learners from all over England," she added.
The institute has also extended into offering evening short course programmes that are attracting adults from 19 to 60 with demand growing.
"We have a really diverse mix of students in the building and we would like to do more to attract female learners on to technical qualifications, particularly in engineering and construction.
"We are doing a lot with schools locally and have a successful schools engagement programme with schools coming in for a day to do practical things.
"I can see that a lot of young people in this area see a beautiful building and think it is not for them and they won't be able to access it. We need to break that barrier down and open minds to the careers that are available to them," said Georgina.
The institute is also working to encourage more young people into apprenticeships.
It has a 40-strong employer advisory group and Georgina says: "Employer engagement is an important aspect. They help ensure that our provision is fit for purpose and meets skills needs.
"We have employers coming into the building on most days.
"We could see a need in engineering and construction for a modular approach to training involving bite-sized qualifications so we have developed a number of short courses that can run over 12 weeks and are highly technical.
"The courses are developing to meet the needs of employers. Many need formal training or upskilling and reskilling for technical competencies."
The IoT's very active board of directors are all senior people in recognised industries.
Martin Dudley, chief executive of Thomas Dudley Group, is a board member and was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the IoT.
"It has more than exceeded expectations in its first two years.
"The IoT has been great for the Black Country and Dudley in particular. It has filled a real gap in training provision.
"It has real cutting edge equipment. The medical equipment that it has is second to none," he enthused.
Mr Dudley said that the IoT was working closely with businesses and providing a really good pathway to careers in engineering and manufacturing.
Georgina says that for the institute to be successful it has to be employer-led.
"That is where the young people are going and that is where the jobs are. We want to see them with a career ahead of them or giving progress to their existing careers. If we do that as an IoT we have succeeded," she added.
There have been contributions in kind from local employers in the form of equipment.
"We have had around £800,000 of donations and it shows that employers are personally invested in the building," said Georgina.
The IoT is looking to expand its work in Shropshire and work with other providers on projects.
In-Comm Training, which has a base in Telford, is already a delivery partner and the IoT now wants to widen its reach to become recognised as the go-to place for higher technical skills.
Two universities – Worcester and Wolverhampton – are also delivery partners and Dudley College is the main delivery partner.
The IoT is working with the universities to provide a route for students on to degree programmes.
It is developing qualifications for young people that do not want to leave their local areas to go to university and providing an environment they would feel more comfortable in and providing non-traditional routes into Higher National courses.
Kidderminster-based Avensys Medical is the institute's delivery partner for its medical engineering provision which has satisfied a demand from industry.
It enables the IoT to deliver apprenticeships in maintaining medical equipment.
The IoT has its own fully equipped operating theatre, dental surgery and mini hospital ward.
It has resulted in the IoT delivering training for more than 100 of all ages for hospital trusts from all over England.
As the IoT develops it is hoped to bring in more delivery partners.
"The environment here is very different from a college or university. It feels like a really positive working environment with a range of ages. It is a lovely building both to study in and work in," said Georgina.
The IoT has a mix of day release apprentices and full-time learners studying for HNC or Level Four qualifications. It currently operates Monday to Friday and much of the equipment is also opened up for local businesses
It has several robots, a CAD/CAM suite, all kinds of automation, electrical and electronics equipment.
A number of practical modular courses, including engineering and manufacturing, electronics and pneumatics, are being fully funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority and anyone living with the WMCA area over the age of 19 can access them.
*The open day is running from 10am to 2pm. A full list of courses is available from the website – blackcountryandmarchesiot.ac.uk
You can contact the IoT on 01384 363471.
