Wolverhampton Retains Polymer Industry Training in Telford as Polymer Training Limited Goes into Administration
City of Wolverhampton College has stepped in to ensure that specialist training provision for the UK polymer industry will continue to be delivered in Telford.
The college has purchased assets of Polymer Training Limited, including a wide range of specialist plant, all of its training materials and intellectual. This will enable a new training centre to be established in Stafford Park by extending the college’s Telford Campus.
Learners from across the country were left without a training provider when the Telford-based training centre for the plastics industry went into administration in October; over 100 of these are now back in learning with the college’s support.
Director of Employer Engagement at the college, Georgina Parker, said: “This was a worrying time for these learners who had worked so hard towards their qualification and faced the prospect of being unable to complete it.
“We had worked closely with PTL for many years as one of our Train to Gain sub-contractors, so were committed to giving these learners the help and assistance they needed to complete their qualification. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills were highly supportive of our moves to maintain the provision for the industry, as was Advantage West Midlands.
“PTL’s former staff have a wealth of skills, knowledge and expertise that the college would like to help ensure is retained for the benefit of the Polymer sector, so we are looking forward to opening our Polymer Training & Innovation Centre in Telford to continue providing this valuable training. We have already engaged two of PTL’s former trainers to deliver the qualifications and plan to take on more in the near future.
David Wright, MP for Telford & Wrekin, assisted with the college’s efforts to maintain the Polymer training provision in Telford. David said: “I am delighted that the expedient action of City of Wolverhampton College has saved the provision and will enable a number of highly skilled staff to be retained for the benefit of the industry.”
Bryn Jones of Transforming Telford, who helped to secure the premises for the new venture, added: “We were pleased to offer further support to Wolverhampton College to assist them in extending their Telford Campus, resulted in jobs being safeguarded and specialist training capability being maintained.”