Marshall marked the official opening of its brand-new Skills Academy with a ceremony attended by the UK Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, leaders from industry and academia, and a host of current and former Marshall apprentices.
Comprising a 25,000 square foot workshop and 10 classrooms, Marshall Skills Academy’s new training centre consolidates all Cambridge-based training operations under a single roof for the first time, while substantially boosting capacity to meet growing demand from customers across the industry.
“We are incredibly honoured that the Secretary of State took the time to come and open our new Skills Academy and that she was joined by so many of our current apprentices, alumni, customers and partners on what is a very special day for us,” said Marshall CEO Kathy Jenkins.
“The global skills shortage is well documented, and I am very proud that Marshall is able to demonstrate our leadership in this space through ongoing investment in new facilities and working with industry partners to find new ways to fast-track talent into our industry.
“Marshall has been training apprentices for over 100 years and has built a reputation for turning out world-class engineers and technicians who leave our programmes with the competence, confidence and capability to go straight onto the shop floor.”
The apprentices starting in September 2023 are the first to begin their learning journey in the new workshop, and represent Marshall Skills Academy’s largest ever cohort.
Additionally, Marshall Skills Academy is now delivering training for a record number of aerospace organisations. Having achieved Main Provider status in 2020, Marshall began providing apprentice training to third party organisations, most notably Bombardier, and this year four new participants will be joining the training programmes for the first time: Aircraft Restoration Company, Stansted Aerospace, Gama Aviation and Titan Airways.
“This extraordinary new facility embodies our new phase of growth, driven both by industry demand and by our own commitment to training the young people who will be the lifeblood of this industry in generations to come,” said Marshall Skills Academy Managing Director Dan Edwards.
“We have over a century of upskilling and training talent to build upon as we grow our training team and work with more customers than ever to deliver industry-leading apprenticeships.
"This new Skills Academy is a testament to Marshall's commitment to helping talented young people become world-class engineers and technicians."
Marshall also took the opportunity to host a follow-up Skills Summit event, bringing together over 40 senior representatives from the aerospace and defence industry to focus on creative ways to attract young people into the sector, building on the commitments made at the inaugural event in April.
In July, Marshall announced plans to open its second UK-based Skills Academy in Cranfield, Bedfordshire in September 2024, substantially boosting the capacity and geographical footprint of its training programmes across the aviation and engineering sectors.
Outside the UK, the Skills Academy model has recently been expanded into Canada with the launch of an “Earn as you Learn” pilot programme in the province of New Brunswick.