CAD specialists aim to engineer bright future for Telford youngsters
A new Telford training initiative has teamed up with a local educational charity to offer valuable careers advice and guidance to the next generation of workers.
The TDS Academy, a dedicated training programme launched by Computer Aided Design (CAD) specialists for the steelwork sector TDS Midlands, has joined forces with Donnington and Trench Learners Trust to share some of its expertise with local students.
The Donnington and Trench Learners Trust is the community-based arm of Sutherland Business and Enterprise College in Telford, and the organisation has a long-standing link with TDS Midlands which sees the firm’s Daniel Leech and Declan McDonnell sitting in on the Trust’s board meetings to provide strategic input.
The partnership was instrumental in helping the Trust organise D-FEST, a community festival staged earlier in the summer that saw more than 700 attend on the day, while staff from TDS Midlands regularly attend careers events for Year 10 and 11 students, where they offer advice on how to prepare for and handle job interviews, pass on valuable information about the benefits of apprenticeships, and highlight how to make the most of the opportunities available to youngsters to learn new skills and improve their future job prospects.
Declan McDonnell, Director of The TDS Academy, commented: “One of the main reasons we set up The TDS Academy was to provide a real opportunity to help local youngsters nurture the skills needed to not only lead to a thriving engineering industry, but also a thriving local community. Our partnership with the Donnington and Trench Learners Trust is a natural extension of this, and we are delighted it is having such a positive impact. By offering careers advice and outlining some of the opportunities that are out there, we’re able to help raise people’s aspirations and motivate them to learn new skills.”
October saw the initial intake of apprentices at The TDS Academy start their three-year training programme, where they will be able to learn vital CAD skills and techniques through a combination of qualifications and work-based, on the job learning. Firms from as far afield as Shropshire, Scotland, Essex, Lancashire, and Cambridgeshire have already enrolled employees onto the initiative, which will see students successfully completing the programme obtain an ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Construction Design and Drafting, along with a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering – the equivalent of two A Levels.
“The feedback we’ve already received from community-focused groups such as the Trust, not to mention schools, colleges, and employers from throughout Shropshire and further afield, has been phenomenal, and shows that even in such a challenging economic climate, the desire is there to help give the next generation the best possible chance to pick up the practical skills and qualifications that will stand them in good stead for their future careers,” Declan concluded.
