Morpeth man hopes to kickstart new career at Blyth welding training centre

Positioned in the heart of the Port of Blyth, alongside the flagship Energy Central Learning Campus, the centre is designed to tackle the skills gap by training up the next generation of engineers.

After opening to students earlier this year, it has now taken delivery of a cutting-edge robotic CoWelder thanks to a partnership with manufacturer Migatronic.

Described as a collaborative welding robot or ‘cobot’, it is built to work together with teams in a shared workspace without the need for safety barriers and to carry out routine work so a welder can channel their skills into other more complex tasks.

Every student in the centre also has their own welding bay – kitted out with Migatronic equipment.

The training centre is run by Northumberland Skills, Northumberland County Council’s post-16 education provider, offering a wide range of full and part-time courses, apprenticeship training programmes and employability programmes.

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member with responsibility for Inspiring Young People, said: “This state-of-the-art training centre and technology is going to propel business and industry forward in Blyth, Northumberland and beyond.

“The team at Northumberland Skills is passionate about inspiring the next generation and are building close relationships with their industry partners to make sure their offer meets business needs.

"This is a really exciting time for Blyth and Northumberland as we look to the future.”

Blyth Valley MP, Ian Levy, added: “This investment by the council recognises the ambition here in Blyth, and Northumberland, to be a driving force in building thriving green industries in Britain.”

Richard Young, country manager, Migatronic, said: “We are delighted to partner with Northumberland County Council and Northumberland Skills on this innovative new centre in the rapidly expanding Port of Blyth.

“Our CoWelders work alongside teams to boost productivity, enhance safety, and empower welders to focus on the complex tasks they excel at.

“Investing in the engineers of the future is key to our business and we look forward to developing this partnership so that Northumberland continues to lead the way in creating new green jobs for the future.”

The training centre aims to equip learners with the skills they need to kickstart their career in advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction, marine and clean energy sectors.

As well as school leavers, welding short courses for adults are also available and start in September, along with bespoke packages for employers looking to upskill their workforce and a variety of apprenticeship training programmes.

Among the latest cohort of learners is Gordon MacKay, 31, from Morpeth.

The dad-of-three was offered a place on an innovative training partnership between Northumberland Skills and Blyth-based sheet metal fabrication specialists, Universal Wolf, part of the Tharsus Group.

He said: “It’s a career change for me and when I heard about the course I jumped at the chance. I was an electrician, but now I’m loving welding. The facilities and the teachers are fantastic.

“I’ve learned so much already in such a short space of time and I’m really excited about the career opportunities this course will bring."

Find out more and apply today by emailing [email protected] or visit www.northumberlandskills.co.uk/welding