Mayor announces £4m funding for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering skills training

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, has announced a £4m investment to train local people in advanced manufacturing and engineering skills.

The investment is part of the Mayor’s plan to lead the West Midlands into a new age of industrialisation, making sure people have the right skills to drive growth in the region. 

The news was announced by the Mayor, alongside Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, during a visit to City of Wolverhampton College to celebrate its Advanced Manufacturing Technical College status. They toured the Advanced Technology & Automotive Centre - the college’s Wellington Road Campus in Bilston - where they met the local engineering and manufacturing businesses and apprentices who are helping to shape the region’s future workforce.

The Mayor said: “For too long, too many people have been locked out of the opportunities created on their doorstep. I'm changing that. This investment will help local people gain the skills that modern manufacturing and engineering employers are crying out for.

“The West Midlands has always been a place that makes, invents and exports. We have the talent, the businesses and the ambition to lead Britain's new industrial age.

“My job is to make sure local people benefit from that success. That's why we're investing in skills, backing our colleges and ensuring we build a stronger, more prosperous West Midlands for everyone.”

Pat McFadden said: "The £4 million funding announced today by the Mayor is a fantastic investment in the future of advanced manufacturing and engineering skills, helping to build the skilled workforce that will underpin the next generation of industry here in the West Midlands.

Key partners also signed a West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) led 'College Compact', an agreement to rewire the way the skills system works across the region.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands with Pat McFadden MP, Warinder Juss MP, Cllr Stephen Simkins, Louise Fall, principal City of Wolverhampton College and representatives of colleges in the region at the launch of the College Compact and announcement of £4m funding for Advanced Manufacturing and engineering skills training

Cementing a new partnership between the WMCA and colleges, the College Compact supports the Mayor's Growth Plan and ambition to tackle the challenge of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and to develop a stronger and more coordinated higher-level skills offer.

Partners will work also together to embed digital and AI into the design and delivery of skills provision and to co-design Higher level skills.

Colleges are already responding at pace to the WMCA commitments under devolution by offering more Level 2, Level 3 and above places with over 37,000 enrolments planned for the 2026/27 Academic year - which is an increase of over 11,000 on the previous year - meaning significantly more residents are training in technical and vocational areas such as construction, digital skills and health.

This is in addition to the Mayor’s commitment to put £75m into construction skills to meet the demand for 4,000 construction workers a year as part of the WMCA's Construction Skills Action Plan.

The WMCA and colleges will jointly develop and refresh an annual delivery plan: West Midlands College Compact

At the event, students gave live demonstrations of industrial robotics and electric vehicle technologies, highlighting how innovation is transforming 21^st century industry.

Watch this case study video of learner Armandas Pikelis who is studying engineering at City of Wolverhampton College: Video

Demonstrations included advanced manufacturing techniques, robotics used for product handling and stacking, laser-cutting aluminium from AutoCAD designs, materials testing, and virtual reality welding technology that enables hands-on skills development while reducing material waste.

Wolverhampton College is also celebrating its award of being awarded Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence College (AMTEC) status, which will see it act as a centre of manufacturing excellence. The college will work with employers and other local training providers to share expertise, embed best practice and provide cutting-edge industry-standard training across the region.   

Louise Fall, principal and chief executive, City of Wolverhampton College, said: "Being awarded Technical Excellence Centre status for advanced manufacturing is a source of real pride for both the college and the city.

"The West Midlands is globally recognised for manufacturing excellence and AMTEC status, along with additional funding for the region and the new College Compact partnership arrangement, will enable us to further ensure that we continue to deliver industry-standard training so that the future workforce is equipped with the skills that the sector needs, both now and in the years to come."

Learners (l-r) Luis Skelding and Armandas Pikelis with Mayor Richard Parker at Wolverhampton College Advanced Technology Centre