When Leyland Trucks reported a need for electric vehicle training for its apprentices, the IoT’s academic partner Preston College integrated a new module into their courses.
By adapting the curriculum to focus on in-demand skills, and gradually phasing out some traditional engineering disciplines, the college ensures that Level 3 and Level 4 learners graduate with up-to-date, industry-relevant knowledge.
This empowers them to make an immediate and meaningful impact in the manufacturing sector.
It’s just one of the ways the business is benefiting from working with the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology to train its next generation of engineers.
“Industry has to provide a mirror to education to shake things up and make sure the skills being taught are the most relevant to what we need,” says Maria Rogers, learning and development manager at Leyland Trucks. “We have a really good relationship with Preston College and, whenever we say we want to do something a bit different, they’re always flexible to meet our needs and, importantly, excited by the challenge.”
The business, which has been working with Preston College for a decade, currently has 29 employees, offering Level 2 to Level 5 apprenticeships, and qualifications up to HNC level.
Key to the success of their training is the close partnership the college and business has forged, with daily conversations at work-based tutor level, regular meetings with different departments on topics relating to the course and an annual look at whether the course will best meet the needs of the next intake.
From here, changes can be made and the college is always responsive to the needs of Leyland Trucks and its other employer partners.
“With technology developing rapidly, and industry needs changing, we always need to be looking at what’s next,” says Maria. “Data analysis is a big one, as everything is becoming more digitalised in terms of diagnostic tools. We can train people to use the tools but they then need to analyse that information for fault finding and diagnostics, which is something we’ve suggested should be added into their courses.”
While maths, essential for the profession, was included in the Level 4 course, the business felt like more in-depth work was needed at Level 3, Maria says, so additional maths was added into the lower level course to bridge the gap.
As well as working with the college towards its own business needs, the manufacturer has gone further, pledging to do more to benefit the talent coming into the industry as a whole. Maria has joined the college’s engineering advisory board, which meets regularly to allow businesses to feed back their needs so that learning remains updated.
The business donates prototype vehicles to the college for learners to work on and welcomes college staff to the business every year to immerse them in the industry they are teaching.
Aside from the technical training, Leyland Trucks, as is the case with many Lancashire and Cumbria employers, reports a need for softer skills. “We need people with good communication skills, adaptability, accountability, who know to turn up on time, ask questions and show they’re enthusiastic,” Maria says. “We’ve embedded these into the apprenticeship programme so that we get people who are work ready.”
It all adds up to a collaborative approach that ensures apprentices join the 1,100-strong workforce ready to hit the ground running as assembly operatives and automotive engineers. And with 1,000 applicants for 27 positions most recently, it makes for a sought-after apprenticeship.
Maria says she would recommend other businesses partner with education to ensure workforces are fit for the future.
“We’re all capable of becoming insular and just focusing on our own business needs, but this is a way we can shape the talent pool and create the workers we all need now and in the future,” she adds.
Mark Taylor, Director of School: cStem at Preston College, said: “At Preston College, we work in partnership with industry to shape a workforce that’s not only skilled for today but ready to innovate for tomorrow. Collaborating with employers like Leyland Trucks allows us to adapt quickly to emerging needs, ensuring that Lancashire’s talent pipeline is equipped to drive growth and meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving manufacturing sector.”