The importance of a skilled workforce to the future of Swindon’s world-class advanced engineering industry was underlined at accountants Monahans’ latest manufacturing breakfast.
With a focus on the town’s car industry, the event heard from BMW on how it is developing the engineers of tomorrow at its Swindon Mini plant by investing in apprenticeships.
The firm has 38 of its 227 UK apprentices based in Swindon, where its pressing plant manufactures 95% of the body panels used on every Mini and makes sub-assemblies such as doors and bonnets. 
These apprentices are an integral part of the 800-strong workforce at the plant, explained BMW head of apprentice and associate training Dr Simon Farrell.
“Apprenticeships are part of the DNA of BMW around the world,” he said, pointing out that the number of 18-24 year olds serving four-year apprenticeships had nearly doubled at the car giant in recent years as the number of new model launches has accelerated.
Swindon plant general manager Chris Mark said the skills needed for the future of the industry were very different to when he joined the motor industry as a 16-year-old apprentice.
“Automation means the skills we will need in the future will be in maintenance and toolmaking,” he said. BMW had invested £250m in the 60-year-old Swindon plant to make it one of the world’s most highly advanced and automated pressings factories, he said, and was now investing in the workforce of the future.
To bring this home to the audience BMW plant Swindon third-year apprentices Chay Thomas and Dave Robinson explained how their training in electrical mechanical engineering had given them key roles in the development of the next-generation Mini.
They gave an insight into a day in the life of a BMW apprentice, including how they carry out essential maintenance to ensure the plant’s £100m new press lines operate smoothly as well as performing rapid repairs should the massive lines breakdown.
The breakfast was staged at UTC Swindon – the recently opened University Technical College which aims to produce the engineers of the future and is housed in an historic former Great Western Railway training centre.
UTC principal Angela Barker-Dench, herself a former electrical engineering apprentice, explained how vital engineering was to the UK economy – it accounts for 20% of GFDP (gross domestic product) and employs 4.5m people.
Yet some of the UTC’s engineering firm sponsors were recruiting skilled workers from abroad because of a lack of home-grown talent, she said.
“We need to change the perception of engineering away from it being a job where you have oil under your fingernails and your head under a car bonnet,” she said.
Parents needed to understand that engineering would give their children a fantastic career with excellent opportunities.
Monahans partner Martin Longmore said: “It was fantastic to have speakers from such a prestigious company like BMW attend the event, speaking about a topic that will have a great impact on the manufacturing industry for years to come.”
“UTC Swindon and its facility pay homage to the past, present and future of the manufacturing and engineering industries in Swindon and the theme of the event ties in perfectly with the college.”
For information on future Monahans Manufacturing Breakfasts, which are free to attend, contact Zoe Meaden on 01793 818300 or email marketing@monahans.co.uk
