Apprenticeship provider showcases welding training offer to WMCA and Walsall Council

Leading West Midlands training and apprenticeship provider Performance Through People (PTP) has showcased its welding training offer to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Walsall Council.

WMCA Deputy Mayor Sharon Thompson, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council Councillor Adrian Andrew and Walsall Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Children, Families and Education Adam Hicken visited PTP’s Walsall training centre on June 5 to see the work the training provider is doing to support residents and employers across the West Midlands region with welding and engineering skills.

PTP has invested more than £60,000, match funded by the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS), which is led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) through Walsall Council and Business Growth West Midlands.

This has helped to expand PTP’s welding provision by adding new welding bays and a new extraction process, as well as improve its net zero position, improving the insulation in its Walsall training centre and introducing energy-efficient LED lighting.

The WMCA has funded the welding training that PTP is delivering, through Skills Bootcamps and Higher-Level Skills courses.

Visiting the newly expanded welding section of PTP’s workshop and trying out virtual welding, the guests learnt about the importance of engineering training to the West Midlands and heard from residents and employers who are benefitting from training opportunities.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Sharon Thompson said: “Engineering skills are in high demand by employers, especially in welding, and this training has been developed by the WMCA with providers such as PTP as a direct response to the shortage of skilled welders.

“It’s by investing in growth sectors we can tackle youth unemployment in the region – helping people and businesses to thrive.”

The visitors met with HR Manager Harmony Balshaw from manufacturer Marcegaglia UK Ltd and Quality, Health and Safety Manager Zak Fullerton from RLW Roofing Ltd, two of the employers that have partnered with PTP to deliver welding training, to hear their experiences of working with the training provider.

Three employed students who are currently on a welding programme with PTP, Dawid Poplawski, Ben Bowater and Kyran Bradnam, also discussed the benefits of their training.

Ben Bowater from P&H Fabrications said: “The HLS Welding course has been a great help in improving my aluminium welding skills and has given me confidence in creating more challenging welds to a coded standard.

“The tutors’ knowledge and experience really stand out and make a difference.”

PTP works with more than 350 employers across the region, delivering over 40 apprenticeship standards in a range of sectors including healthcare, business, warehousing and retail.

The training provider drives key regional employment initiatives and since 2014 has been a leading partner in the delivery of the Ladder for Black Country apprenticeship initiative, which has expanded to encompass surrounding regions including Greater Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Performance Through People CEO Rob Colbourne OBE said: “It was great to be able to showcase the fantastic engineering training opportunities offered by PTP.

“We are proud to be working together with some outstanding employers and apprentices to upskill workforces across the West Midlands.

“The engineering sector is vitally important to our regional economy, employing more than 200,000 people in 25,000 businesses.

“We have a real competitive advantage as a region, with a long and proud industrial heritage in engineering and manufacturing, a track record of excellence with global brands, unrivalled talent and renowned expertise.”

Pictured: Deputy Mayor Sharon Thompson (centre front) with councillor Adam Hicken (to her immediate left) and councillor Adrian Andrew (to her immediate right) at PTP’s training centre in Walsall