THE sun shone down this morning (Thursday, May 25) as the Queen's cousin the Duke of Kent officially opened a new manufacturing and engineering training academy in Redditch.

The Training Academy in Arthur Street is part of a £250,000 investment from Heartbeat UK that aims to provide unemployed people with the vital skills for the modern workplace.

Three generations of the family that owns Heartbeat UK, a globally integrated design and manufacturing company specialising in retail display, were at the site in Redditch to welcome the Duke and show him the facilities.

The company have developed a 16-week pre-employment training programme for up to 40 learners covering a range of skills, including: carpentry, shop fitting, warehouse and logistics training, engineering and manufacturing, fabrication and welding.

The learners will also have English, Maths and employment support, 16 days’ work experience, job search support, plus fully certified Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card assistance.

Once they have successfully completed the training programme, they will be able to apply for jobs at Heartbeat and local businesses operating in the Redditch area.

The Training Academy began its training programme 18 months ago.

Since then, it has achieved an 83 per cent success rate among its learners, while more than 80 per cent have been successfully placed in employment or apprenticeships.

James Pritchard, group managing director of Heartbeat UK, said: "We recognised that there is a real skills gap in this country, so we are very keen to play our part in helping the next generation of engineers and manufacturers receive the high quality, tailored training, as well as gain the right attitudes and personal skills they need to begin a sustainable career.

"For us, The Training Academy is a way of celebrating the heritage of manufacturing in the region, and across the UK, and we are pleased that our courses are paying off, with people successfully completing their courses and going on to the workplace."

The Training Academy has been supported by the Job Centre. It is also working with charities, ex-offender organisations, and drug rehabilitation centres to recruit learners with a desire for the training and apprenticeship programme.

The Training Academy received an £83,000 grant from Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), through the Worcestershire Growth Fund, to support the investment in the training programme.

It is also aligned to the LEP’s priority sectors of advanced manufacturing and engineering, helping to reduce unemployment in the Worcestershire area, and providing jobs by developing a skilled workforce.

Gary Woodman, chief executive of Worcestershire LEP, said: "The Training Academy offer exactly the sort of programme we are keen to help because it is making great strides in helping people into work through good quality training. We’ve been impressed with the success rates the company has achieved in just 18 months and we are looking forward to seeing many more learners achieving the skills they need to get them on the jobs ladder."