Lyons announces latest Assured Skills Academy in welding at South West College

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today launched the latest Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy at South West College, with 12 training places.

Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy at South West College,

The Academy will see successful applicants receive industry-standard welding training during a six-week course at South West College’s industrial training facility in Cookstown.

Upon successful completion of the training, participants will be guaranteed an interview for a welding position at one of 19 participating engineering and manufacturing companies in the Mid Ulster area.

Highlighting the opportunity, the Minister said:

“I am very pleased to launch this latest Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy at South West College. This is the sixth such Academy to be delivered by the college this financial year.

“Indeed, this financial year we are on track to deliver 15 Collaborative Welding Academies offering approximately 200 training places with further education colleges and companies across Northern Ireland.

“Since the Collaborative Welding Academies started in April 2018, 221 people have participated on the Academies and of those, 163 were successfully upskilled and 133 secured employment.

“This Academy will see 12 more people gain the skills they need to potentially secure a job in this dynamic sector. With a £155 weekly training allowance payable to participants and no experience in the sector required, I urge anyone who is interested to apply.”

The successful applicants to the Academy will attend a six-week intensive training course delivered by SWC at its dedicated training facility in Cookstown where they will study ETCAL Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations and Certified Abrasive Wheels Training. 

Ciaran McManus, Assistant Chief Executive of South West College, said:

“South West College is committed to working in partnership with the Department and local industry to design and deliver high quality training interventions which prepare participants to take up employment in the engineering and manufacturing sector.”

Applications are open now and close at noon on Friday 11 February 2022. 

All applicants must be at least 18 years old by Monday 7 March 2022 and currently eligible to work in the UK. This opportunity is not open to anyone currently employed within the manufacturing and engineering sector.

More information and details on how to apply are available on the nidirect website.

Notes to editors: 

1. The companies participating in the Assured Skills Academy are:

• Edge Innovate (NI) – Dungannon
• Burrows Engineering  - Dungannon
• J & B Engineering - Dungannon
• Mallaghan - Dungannon
• Nugent Engineering - Dungannon
• Specdrum - Dungannon
• Terex - Dungannon
• Truck and Trailer Works – Dungannon
• Toddsleap Racking & Shelving - Ballygawley
•  Bruce Engineering Services- Cookstown
• Four Dee NI - Magherafelt
• Crossland Tankers – Swatragh
• OHM, Clogher
• Moyle, Dungannon
• Esystak, Coalisland
• Muldoon, Dungannon
• McGrath, Coalisland
• Turco, Cookstown
• Anaconda, Dungannon

2. Assured Skills is a pre-employment training programme run by the Department for the Economy. More information is available atAssured Skills Programme.

3. To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

• Twitter – @Economy_NI
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• Instagram – economy_ni
• LinkedIn – Department for the Economy NI 

4. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk .

5. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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