News & Updates, Talent, Skills & Training

PMG Members tour City College Plymouth’s new Centre of Higher Technical Innovation and Maritime Skills.

For City College Plymouth, being at the heart of the community means supporting its industries to ensure they can continue to offer meaningful employment opportunities for the people of Plymouth.

In an ever-changing world, the way to succeed and to promote growth is to remain one step ahead and anticipate the challenges of the future and turn these into opportunities.

On Friday 18 March, City College Plymouth welcomed members of the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group to tour the new Centre of Higher Technical Innovation and Maritime Skills. Funded by the Institutes of Technology, the Centre is located within phase two  of the Oceansgate Marine Enterprise Zone.

During the visit, the members received a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities and observed the application of equipment such as a bespoke academic-use flatbed five-axis CNC, and a high-end Hass Mini Mill, both of which are used to enhance learning and ensure that everything – from prototype to final product – is delivered to a high standard and with rapid manufacturing techniques in mind.

Once trained, students and apprentices have full access to everything from high-spec laptops for conceptualisation and design, through to 3D printers and wave tanks for build and test, ensuring they reach the relevant technology readiness level (TRL) at a much earlier stage than previously, which also improves the standard of their projects.

Lance Chatfield, Executive of Technical Innovation at the College, said: “Thanks to the facilities at the centre, our students are now more advanced than ever at a much earlier stage in their careers, which in turn benefits the employers of those students who are working alongside their courses.

“With programmes available at HNC, Foundation Degree and Bachelors Degree level in many disciplines, which include, manufacturing maintenance engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical and electronic engineering, along with the UK’s only Foundation Degree in Marine Autonomy, City College Plymouth is well set to support employers with university-level requirements across a range of disciplines.”

For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact:

  • Lance Chatfield – Executive of Technical Innovation – lchatfield@cityplym.ac.uk – strategic discussions and high-level requirements
  • Alan Austin – Head of Academy Maritime and Manufacturing – aasutin1@cityplym.ac.uk – Apprenticeship, T-levels and course-level requirements
  • Martin Boulter – Programme Lead – mboulter@cityplym.ac.uk – facility, course and programme level requirements
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