One of the country's top colleges has launched a new robotics and automation course, aimed at bridging the skills gap in advanced manufacturing.
The City of Liverpool College will run the Level 3 course in partnership with city firm CNC Robotics Ltd, after the gap was identified by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority's skills for growth report.
According to the college, which is in the 海角视频's top 10%, the partnership comes as a direct response to the rise of automation resulting in traditional manufacturers digitising their processes.
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Rather than replacing people with machines resulting in unemployment, it's hoped the new course will allow employers to up-skill their existing workforce to meet the changing demands of the industry, creating new, highly skilled roles.
Starting in October, the college said the course is only the second of its kind in the whole country - and allows employers to identify and plug specific skills shortages in their existing teams.
Elaine Bowker, principal at The City of Liverpool College, said: “The rise of automation has moved at a faster pace than ever anticipated, and businesses need to keep up. As a result, it’s our responsibility to ensure that we are developing the talent pipeline that these employers need to help them grow.
"It’s through partnerships such as this that we can deliver innovative and relevant courses to our students, allowing them to secure well-paid jobs with longevity.
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“This unique partnership has been 12 months in the making and will allow us to combine our quality teaching with CNC Robotics’ advanced technology, providing students with the best possible learning and employers with the best possible staff to meet their needs.”
Through this eight-week course, learners will receive a Level Three qualification in robotics and automation. The flexible course will allow learners to choose units of the qualification that work for them or complete the full qualification.
Madina Barker, director at Aintree-based CNC Robotics, added: “Robotic technology is significantly and positively changing the way we work and live, the future success across all industries will be defined by the ability of 海角视频 firms to adapt their infrastructure and exploit related technologies.
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"Each new wave of technology brings fears of job losses and often there is a reluctance to embrace change, yet there is no evidence of technology being detrimental to overall employment levels, indeed history shows that technological change creates jobs rather than destroying them.
“As world population grows the demand for more products will continue, manufacturers will need to produce more but to do so more efficiently. Therefore, each new generation will see more and more demand for skilled jobs to support automated systems - the greatest threat to employment is not automation but an inability to have skilled staff in order to remain competitive.
“We are excited to partner with The City of Liverpool college to train the next generation of robotic and automation engineers to drive productivity and jobs across the 海角视频’s manufacturing base. Up-skilling the 海角视频 workforce has never been more important to give manufacturing a competitive edge as we compete in an ever-global market”.