HME Technology, the West Midlands-based manufacturer and installer of design and technology equipment, is flying high after winning a £70,000 contract with a new University Technical College backed by aerospace giant Rolls-Royce.
The Bromsgrove firm is supplying the recently opened Derby Manufacturing UTC.
The new business was won via main contractor BAM Construction and primarily involves finishing machines and wood dust extraction units.
The £8 million centre on the Pride Park site is a partnership between Derby College, the University of Derby, Rolls-Royce, Bombardier, Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK), Derby City Council and a wide range of supply chain employers working in local manufacturing and engineering.
The UTC will have capacity for up to 600 young people aged 14 to 19 who will study core GCSEs, A levels and engineering qualifications enhanced by project-based learning, work placements, employer site visits and industry expert lectures. The focus will be on advanced manufacturing, product design, materials science, advanced composites and sustainability in engineering.
HME managing director Julian Davis said: “Product design, manufacturing and design and technology are very dear to our hearts.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be working on such a flagship project – this is the future for our country.”
Derby claims to be the UK’s number one high tech city with 12 per cent of its population employed within high tech jobs.
The UTC states: “To maintain and enhance this position we need to ensure we are investing in our young people.
“To continue to develop Derby’s economy and to ensure we prosper, we need to ensure that we are providing the correct workforce to meet the demands of our local employers. It is essential that we maximise the opportunities for people from within our own communities to effectively develop the skills that will enable them to access the world class jobs that our Derby-based engineering employers can offer them.”
Phil Morris, principal and chief executive, added: “This is an exciting time for our young people, as employers and educators join forces to create a unique learning experience, allowing them to become skilled, qualified and experienced young adults, with a deep-seated knowledge of Derby, its industries and opportunities.”
Founded in 1984, HME Technology products include forges, brazing hearths, furnaces, welding tables, fume extraction systems, kilns, woodworking equipment, wood dust extraction systems, metal finishing, routers and CNC machines. It also supplies fume cupboards and ventilation systems for science departments.
