Lincoln College Plans for the Future of Apprenticeships With Employers

AI, Robotics and Technology, these were the issues discussed this week at Lincoln College’s Mechanical Engineering Employer Board. 

Held regularly to bring together businesses and College staff involved in the apprenticeships and work placement element of Mechanical Engineering at the College, it was a chance to discuss the College’s approach to placing students in real working environments to learn valuable work experience and skills to be equipped for the world of work post-education. 

Curriculum Lead for Engineering Apprentices at Lincoln College, Kevin Lloyd, said: “This was a great opportunity for us to not only communicate what our intentions for learners at the College, but also to let employers know our plans for the future. These board meetings also act as an open discussion, for businesses to feedback on what has worked and what hasn’t. We are always keen to hear what employers think of our process and we are always seeking to improve what we do.  

“Our main questions during these boards are, what can we do to meet your collective needs? What are your skills requirements and what future skills do we need to address?” 

Director of Operations at Aslackby-based firm SL Engineering, John Lynch, said: “Traditional apprenticeships such as shop floor-based metal fabrication will always be valid, but we really need to think about technology.  

“Robotics for example is really important, we can install robotic arms and the like to help us on production lines, but we also need those with skills to code and operate them. There’s a lot of meat on the bones of apprenticeships but we need to know what is coming and what we can do to prepare for that.”  

To find out more about apprenticeships, visit our Apprenticeship Employer page or contact Kevin Lloyd or Ian Browne on [email protected]