A Plymouth college is tackling a shortage of welders by training a new generation using the latest Augmented Reality kit in a £350,000 tech suite.
City College Plymouth will also be upskilling workers from the city’s manufacturing industries at its new facility, financed by the Getting Building Fund for shovel-ready projects.
The college has purchased 17 AR welding simulators from Spanish tech company Seabery Solutions. At up to £25,000 for each unit the investment is seen as good business, allowing more welders to be trained to a higher level more quickly.
The kit is also safer, cheaper than the alternative of practising with real material, and more environmentally friendly.
And by using the latest technology it is hoped to attract young people to become welders, including women who are seen as more dexterous than men.
“The best welders are women,” said Antonio Fernandez, Seabery’s business development director. “Women have very good hand skills. During the war women became welders and were very efficient, especially when the work was very delicate.”
Mr Fernandez said the AR technology is “faster, cheaper, better quality, safer and environmentally friendly,” and said: “We need to increase the quantity and quality of welders.”
He said the kit, which perfectly mimics a welding operation, can even be adapted as industry moves towards robotics. He explained: “The problem for industry is it can’t find operators for robotic welding arms. That will be the challenge, but this system can address that, we can connect it to a welding robot.”
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The new Augmented Reality Welding Suite will allow trainee welders, mostly apprentices, to learn modern manufacturing techniques vital for sectors such as marine, defence and construction.
The welding suite will also provide a place for more experienced welders to advance their existing skills and support fabricators, pipe fitters, and product and marine engineers to develop their abilities, helping to meet demand in these industries.
Lance Chatfield, City College’s academy manager for higher technology skills, said: “We can introduce people to welding that have never welded before, we can train students and apprentices faster and bring back experienced welders to upskill and reskill. And we can bring in industry and work with it to develop templates to try out new welds.”
He said manufacturing companies are crying out for welders, and City College is working with engineering giant Babcock, and companies in its supply chain, to fill a welding void.
“We can use this equipment to attract people to the industry,” he said. “Welding is a career for life and pays good wages.”
Although a welding apprenticeship will still take four years to complete, the AR kit means apprentices can be shopfloor-ready earlier, and working for their employer as they train.
City College is training a new cohort of 80 apprentices, and evening courses for experienced welders, workers from other fields, such as car mechanics, and even hobbyists, are oversubscribed.
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Mr Chatfield said the number of trainees is expected to increase in future years and said: “There are jobs out there, every business we speak to is looking for welders.”
City College said the new technology is a huge step towards its vision to become a digital-first learning centre. Its strategic vision for the next 10 years includes a shift to a digital-savvy way of teaching and training, and it believes the futuristic welding suite will offer students a superior level of training through the use of AR.
It will also reduce the amount of materials needed during training by at least 50% and support the college’s aim of reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to the city’s green agenda.
The college was awarded £350,000 by the Heart of the South West Partnership’s Getting Building Fund, which supports projects which can stimulate jobs and support economic recovery.
Jackie Grubb, chief executive, said: “City College Plymouth is immensely proud to launch our new Augmented Reality Welding Suite this year. Helping to simultaneously shape the future of our college and the city, our investment in this cutting-edge facility will allow apprentices and students across multiple disciplines to learn in a digital-first environment and capitalise on today’s technology to experience a seamless route to success.
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“Offering employers the ability to train their apprentices through this innovative technology will greatly reduce costs and create further opportunity for growth in these key industries.”
Karl Tucker, chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The HotSW LEP’s Getting Building Fund aims to support ready-to-go projects that will deliver new jobs and contribute to our area’s post-Covid recovery. We’re delighted to have supported the new Augmented Reality Welding Suite at City College Plymouth with £350,000 from the fund. This futuristic digital suite will provide students with fantastic hands-on experience in a simulated environment, ensuring they are equipped with the right skills to support local business needs.”
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