WMG Founder and Chairman, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, has been recognised by Lord Kenneth Baker for his significant contribution to professional education in the UK.

In his comments made during a House of Lords debate on improved vocational alternatives for young people, Lord Baker said:

Through the Warwick Manufacturing Group, [Lord Bhattacharyya] has driven forward the reputation of Warwick University to become one of the best universities in the world. He has also supported, I am glad to say, the university technical college [WMG Academy for Young Engineers] opened only last month…His personal contribution in the whole scale of technical education is quite remarkable.”

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Lord Baker is a leading proponent of University Technical Colleges (UTCs), a new type of academy, funded by the Department for Education. They offer a combination of academic and technical qualifications to match regional employers’ skills needs and boost young peoples’ career prospects. Lord Baker and Professor Lord Bhattacharyya recently visited the new WMG Academy for Young Engineers, which opened in September 2014 and aims to give 14-18 year olds a strong core and technical education.

In the House of Lords debate, Lord Bhattacharyya commented that he sees UTCs as the first step in restoring technical schools in the educational pantheon:

This autumn, we at WMG opened our first UTC, with a curriculum designed by the university and supported by leading engineering firms such as Jaguar Land Rover. We have recently received government permission to open another in Solihull. Businesses support the academy because they can see how it will prepare students for a career. Parents are enthused because they see the quality of education their children get from a top university.”

The recent launch of the WMG Academy for Young Engineers means that WMG now provides technical education and skills development programmes for the full breadth of need, from young people aged 14 all the way through to senior executive level in industry.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya founded WMG in 1980 to support firms investing in innovation, skills and product research. Since then, he has been a passionate advocate for developing the comprehensive range of technical skills required to satisfy industry needs. In 2009, WMG was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of its long-term educational partnerships supporting UK competitiveness in manufacturing.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya has a distinguished career working with industry and government to advance the manufacturing agenda. He was appointed a CBE in 1997 and knighted in 2003. Earlier this year, he was elected to the Fellowship of The Royal Society for his contribution to engineering research and education.
In a recent article for the Policy Network, on UK policy on industry and innovation, he wrote:

Everyone sees that continuing education is vital for engineers, but if developing skills doesn’t fit with business need and workflow pressures, it won’t happen. WMG’s use of modular teaching in partnership with specific companies was a genuine innovation in British engineering higher education, opening up degree courses to a swathe of employees, as companies and workers could develop skills at a pace flexible for working life, on subjects designed with both academic rigour and business impact in mind.”

Read: Implementing better industrial and innovation policies (Policy Network)

All of WMG’s graduate education has built on this initial foundation through the creation of numerous long running academic-industry initiatives, into a major globally delivered programme. The programme is delivered through a range of approaches to staff in UK companies, to individuals from over 60 countries studying full-time at WMG, and to companies and individuals through collaborative centres overseas. Over 25,000 individuals have participated in WMG programmes to date.

One of WMG’s most recently launched education innovations is the pioneering Applied Engineering Programme (AEP), launched in 2013. The AEP allows participants to study for a Bachelor's in Engineering while in full-time employment or as part of a Higher Apprenticeship. It is aimed at employees of engineering and technology-led companies who do not possess a university degree. The programme has been developed in collaboration with a number of companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Network Rail.

A second WMG Academy for Young Engineers due to open in Solihull in September 2016 has also been recently announced.