University College Birmingham worked in collaboration with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT), our partner the University of Warwick and the WMG Skills Centre, and the Education and Training Foundation, to hold a successful leadership conference on strengthening technical skills in STEM.

Hosted by University College Birmingham’s Executive Dean of Engineering, Digital and Sustainable Construction, Rosa Wells, the Engineering, Electrification and Skills for the Future event was held at the recently opened Institute of Technology in Birmingham city centre.

The event started with a keynote from Dr Benjamin Silverstone, Director of the WMG Skills Centre at the University of Warwick, on boosting the growth of the talent pipeline. 

Dr Benjamin Silverstone said: “With the pace of technological advancement, supporting the development of technical skills to address current as well as future industry needs is a fundamental part of STEM curriculum delivery.

“By working closely with educators and partners alike, such as with our partners at University College Birmingham, we can continue to collaborate on the provision of high-quality, expert-led training and provide enriched training programmes for learners.”

Rosa delivered a keynote speech highlighting examples of effective partnerships between employers and education providers in advancing skills in the sector.

She also discussed the need to develop a ‘T-shaped learner’, the importance of inclusion and diversity for STEM and how to provide more opportunities for learners while dispelling misconceptions about the industry. 

“It was a pleasure to host one of the Education and Training Foundation Technical Leadership Conferences at Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology,” said Rosa.

“This created a brilliant opportunity to share how University College Birmingham values the importance of partnership and collaborative working in order to enhance the delivery of technical education and training.

“Our partnerships with University of Warwick and the GBSIoT are supporting our development of a new engineering curriculum that will meet current, emerging and future skills requirements.”

The University’s specialist courses in engineering and manufacturing include further and higher education programmes in BTEC Level 2 and 3, T-levels, Higher National Certificate/Higher National Diploma and MSc courses.

Recently, the University bolstered its engineering facilities with a brand-new multi-million-pound refurbishment of Camden House, featuring robotics labs, process manufacturing training equipment, a range of training rigs and simulators, and enhanced IT facilities.

The regeneration of the state-of-the-art sustainable construction skills centre at the former James Cond print works is also fully underway and the centre is expected to open in September 2023.

When open, the James Cond centre will be home to specialist courses such as modular methods of construction, retrofit and green technologies, supporting the region’s growth areas, including sustainable construction methods and renewable energy.

Interested in studying in the areas of construction and engineering? Explore our full range of courses here.

Plus you can find out more about WMG’s range of short courses on the WMG Skills Centre website.