News: AMRC Training Centre ten years on

The University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre is celebrating its tenth birthday.

With state-of-the-art facilities on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the centre has trained over 1,700 apprentices, helping to create the manufacturing workforce of the future.

Opening on October 7 2013, The AMRC Training Centre is on the former Orgreave Colliery and Coking works where the focus is on students aged from 16 upwards, taken on paid apprenticeships by big names and local manufacturers. Apprentices have opportunities to progress on to postgraduate courses, doctorates and MBA levels.

Nikki Jones, the director of the AMRC Training Centre, said: “When you bring together education and industry - it is very powerful. You might describe it as a marriage made in heaven.

"We’ve been doing apprenticeships for ten years now and they matter just as much now as when we started. They are so important for the education mix and providing the workforce for the future. Any industry needs to have skilled people going into their businesses, apprenticeships give them access to that pipeline of talent.

“We must continue to invest in apprenticeships nationally and continue to support all employers - large or small - to take on apprentices. They bring in new skills and fresh ideas, and their ability to progress within an organisation starts very early. If you start your apprenticeship at 16 and finish at 22, you have been in that industry for quite some time and can move much quicker into senior roles. We see that over and over again.

“Apprenticeships start preparing a person for their work life. When you put a young person into that environment, they really develop holistically because they have to be more than just a qualification.”

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Alumni apprentice Bethany Cousins was part of the first cohort of students to undertake an apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre, aged 18. Starting with her advanced apprenticeship, Beth went on to complete a degree apprenticeship, both in manufacturing engineering.

Beth, who works as a manufacturing engineer at the neighbouring AMRC, said: “My apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre paved the way to my career, I wouldn’t have got both the practical and theoretical experience in any other way.

“I enjoyed meeting other apprentices, especially those who were based in other companies. It enabled me to hear about how others applied the theory and perhaps did things a little differently, it was a great additional learning experience.

“South Yorkshire sits in a heavy manufacturing-based area and it’s fantastic to have the AMRC Training Centre sit in-between, having my place of work next door really helped in getting that hands-on experience, and enabled me to network with key industry contacts I would keep for years to come.”

Former apprentice Connor, 22, who completed his degree apprenticeship in maintenance engineering, spent almost five years working for hand tool and storage solutions manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker at Hellaby in Rotherham, but for the past six months, has been working as a methods process analyst for aerospace giant Boeing at its Sheffield facility, which is the only one in Europe.

Connor said: "Rotherham has a rich industrial heritage and I feel it’s important to uplift people’s knowledge and skills, whatever age, and keep these valuable jobs in the UK, instead of seeing engineering progress and advancements be lost to other countries. We need to keep the UK industry alive."

New apprenticeship pathways at the centre include include automation and controls, composites and nuclear and it is also part of the consortium behind a new South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (IoT) that will launch this year, investing £500,000 in new software and technology at the training centre.

Looking ahead, Gareth Wilkinson, head of skills at the AMRC Training Centre, said: "I’d like for us to move into new things, build on what we’ve got, as well as exploring food and drink and nuclear, robotics and Industry 4.0 more. These are all massive areas where we’ll see growth and change in the future, all connected to net zero and sustainability – and it’s here where we really need to ramp up over the coming years to help our apprentices solve the problems of the future and keep on top of the needs of industry.”

AMRC Training Centre website

Images: AMRC Training Centre

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News: Apprentice helps Stanley Black & Decker cut costs and speed up production at Rotherham plant

An apprentice toolmaker is saving the world’s largest manufacturer of tools £40,000 a year after devising new processes to sustain a number of tools that would usually be scrapped.

Gabriella Spencer is a second-year apprentice with Stanley Black & Decker at its facility in Hellaby, Rotherham, which manufactures precision-engineered tools.

The 21-year-old, who is currently the only female engineer on the factory floor, is responsible for maintaining press, punch and die tools; operating machinery including mills, lathes and surface grinders; and making new parts for machinery such as moulding and chisel tools.

A keen problem solver, Gabriella strives to look for ways to improve company processes.

She created a saving of £26,000 by reprocessing damaged carbide discs and provided further sustained usage, which now has the potential to save her company an additional £20,000 a year.

“I decided to make a jig for the carbide discs with three screws to hold it down on the grinding bed,” says Gabriella. “I grind the damage off on the surface grinder, then recut the groove on a lathe. The discs usually cost £220 each – but this process reduces the cost down to just £20 per disc, potentially saving £1,600 a month. There were also 120 old discs I was able to sustain.”

Gabriella was also tasked with a project to design and build product test equipment for plastic toolboxes. The project involved a variety of practical skills, including Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) machining, welding and fabrication. Her successful work on this project is set to save Stanley Black & Decker £12,000 per year in transport costs and one week of production lead time.

In addition, Gabriella has polished up damaged socket chisels so they can be re-used instead of being scrapped, saving costs of £10 per chisel, as well as creating a process to weld up heater plates and aluminium cassettes in-house instead of them being shipped to an external company – reducing costs by £100 per week and speeding up production.

“I’m always looking at ways to improve and save the company money,” she says. “I gain a sense of achievement when I identify an issue and make a positive contribution which addresses the problem.”

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Gabriella, who comes from a family of manufacturers, began her apprenticeship with the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre in September 2020 and is an advanced manufacturing and engineering apprentice. The centre has multimillion pound facilities on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.

Nikki Jones, Director of the AMRC Training Centre, says: “We’re really proud of the work our apprentices do, and Gabriella is a fine example of how an individual can make a real difference to their employer and help find new sustainable methods to improve our environment, something we need now more than ever.

“The apprenticeships we offer help our students make those first steps towards learning the skills they need to gain full-time employment.” Gabriella chose an apprenticeship for its structured training programme, equipping her to build a foundation of skills and expertise in the classroom, which she has then developed in a real working environment.

“Doing an apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre has changed my life completely as it’s allowed me to become more independent. I also love that it gives me the opportunity to learn on the job.

“I really enjoy my work and I find it rewarding as I get to do something different every day and I’m always learning. I would love to see more women in engineering as I don’t know many. People are put off with the thought of heavy lifting, and a male-dominated environment – but everyone is so friendly and always willing to lend a hand.”

In the future, Gabriella plans to become multi-skilled, learn welding, mechanical maintenance and electrical skills - with the hope of also progressing into a hands-on leadership role, supporting young engineers of the future.

Steve Ashforth, factory manager at Stanley Tools Ltd, can attest to how Gabriella has worked tenaciously through the most difficult of times with the pandemic and has impressed us with her work ethic and commitment to her education at the AMRC Training Centre.

He adds: “Gabriella has a thirst for knowledge and training, not only for the course and role of toolmaker, but also the skills outside of those required as she’s also volunteered for external courses, welding and first aid to name a few.

“We’re confident in Gabriella’s potential in the role and sure that with further experience, she’ll become a fully rounded engineer and valued asset to the business.”

Stanley Black & Decker website
AMRC Training Centre website

Images: AMRC Training

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News: Stanley to sponsor the Steelers

The Sheffield Steelers ice hockey club has confirmed a new sponsorship agreement with Stanley Black & Decker.

The tie in will see the world famous brand name painted in the Motorpoint Arena ice, on the dasher boards around the rink and in all of the Elite League team's playing kit.

Tony Smith, owner of the Steelers (pictured above, left with David Osborne, marketing director at Stanley Black & Decker), said: "Stanley Black & Decker are a world famous brand name and we are delighted that that have chosen to one of our partners this coming season. I think it shows what a long way we have come in a short time then the Steelers can attract sponsors and partners like this."

Stanley Black & Decker have a large presence in South Yorkshire with facilities at Europa Court, Sheffield and Hellaby, Rotherham.

The manufacturing and engineering facility in Hellaby is considered to be the jewel in the Stanley manufacturing crown and is literally at the cutting edge of technology. As well as manufacturing knife blades, surfoms, rulers and chisels for the world, the plant boasts the longest uninterrupted carbide laser deposition cell in the world.

Usually reserved for the likes of armour-piercing ammunition, mining and aerospace industries, Stanley engineers have harnessed the hardness and durability of Tungsten Carbide for use in the humble knife blade. Tungsten Carbide is laser deposited onto the cutting edge of a utility or snap-off blade and then honed with diamond wheels to produce the most durable blades Stanley has ever made.

Mike O'Connor, commercial manager at the Steelers, said: "We hope to attract all of the Stanley Black & Decker work force to Steelers games. In return we will do our best to help promote the brand and entertain staff and guests on our match nights at the Arena."

Stanley Tools has number of partnerships in sport including Liverpool FC, Fulham FC and Moto GP, plus Stanley Racing in NASCAR and even professional bull riding in the firm's native USA.

Sheffield Steelers website
Stanley UK website

Images: Sheffield Steelers

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