Education and training forms the bedrock of high skill businesses but companies in the Midlands are finding it difficult to find employees with the right qualities to fulfill current roles in materials science and to future-proof their businesses.

Developing highly skilled material scientists, who have dedicated business and commercial knowledge and hands on practical industrial experience, in addition to their fundamental technical expertise, will be at the heart of how MICG will help companies reach new heights of commercial development and growth.

New Pathways

One of the MICG activities has been to develop a custom-made vocational qualification in materials science to help plug the gap in materials education and training. Ratified by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in 2019, the Materials Science Technologist Degree Apprenticeship is a mix of on-the-job training with employers and studying with HEIs, and it is available as an alternative to the traditional material science degree.

This new and innovative qualification is currently available via Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Derby.

Bright Futures

Our ambition is to create the context for many new jobs over the next five to ten years along with the skills infrastructure needed to fuel UK PLC’s Midlands heartland. As our MICG partnerships grow and clients come on board, our group projects will create a talent pipeline and provide employer-led technical skills that will ensure businesses have access to solutions and innovations brought into play by high value technical skills.

The MICG believes that our mission to scale-up technical ceramics and to rejuvenate Midlands advanced manufacturing can play a vital role in catalysing a multiplier effect that will promote inclusive growth and future prosperity in this region of historical manufacturing importance.