SME manufacturers in Greater Manchester upskill workforce for additive manufacturing innovation

SME manufacturers in Greater Manchester are taking part in a pioneering programme to upskill their workforce to adopt additive manufacturing technology.

Twelve businesses in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, including two in Stockport (Arden Dies and Electro-Mechanical Installations), are part of the Fast Track Additive Manufacturing – Upskilling the Workforce programme. The scheme is a collaboration of the Made Smarter North West adoption pilot, which connects manufacturers with digital tools, skills and leadership to support the sector’s growth.

Companies participating in the programme have upskilling needs, either due to having installed additive manufacturing recently in their organisation, or to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits before making an investment decision

Ruth Hailwood, Made Smarter Organisational and Workforce Development Specialist said:

This pioneering programme is designed to provide businesses with the skills required to understand what AM technology they should invest in, why they should invest, how they design products for AM and operate the machines, and what benefits they can expect once they have successfully adopted AM. Businesses will provide real-world examples as training material so that the course will address their specific skills gaps.”

Businesses will receive flexible, modular training between November 2020 and February 2021, with a mix of online workshops and in-person site visits as part of the programme for staff. There will also be onsite sessions at PrintCity, a 3D additive and digital manufacturing hub at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The programme supports the need for relevant and easily digestible training for upskilling and reskilling SMEs, one of the key recommendations of the Made Smarter Review, the independent review of industrial digitalisation. Additive manufacturing forms one of the new technologies viewed as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that will drive future growth.