New welder training facility opened

Weldability-Sif unveiled a new Foundation level welder training facility at Riseholme College. This is part of the ongoing strategy from the Weldability-Sif Foundation Charity to pro-actively encourage the development of new welder training facilities across the UK.

The dedicated welding training suite complete with fully equipped welding bays, eLearning studio and new virtual reality welding hub was opened by Adrian Hawkins, Weldability-Sif Foundation Director & Trustee, along with Bill Meredith, Deputy Principal, at Riseholme College. Riseholme College is one of 26 colleges, who have already agreed to provide training facilities funded by the Foundation Charity, which will be co-funding welder training facilities at colleges over the next five years.

Adrian Hawkins, Foundation Director & Trustee, said: “The Weldability-Sif Foundation was established and registered as a charity to specifically encourage the development of new welder training facilities across the UK. Welding plays an important role in manufacturing and is used in a multitude of different industries including food processing, quarrying, shipping, as well as energy and UK infrastructure industries. Foundation level welder skills training at Riseholme College is another step towards a full apprenticeship programme designed to meet demand and overcome the current skills shortage in the sector.”

Bill Meredith, Deputy Principal, Riseholme College, said: “We are delighted by the support offered by the Weldability-Sif Foundation in developing state-of-the-art welding facilities at our all-new campus which is situated on the Lincolnshire Showground. Our students will be able to develop their welding skills to the standard required by industry and this will open up exciting career opportunities in the engineering, manufacturing and renewables sectors.”

Riseholme College is the premier land-based college in the UK’s most important agricultural county, situated in the centre of Lincolnshire. Riseholme College specialises in further and higher education courses in agriculture, engineering, horticulture, animal and equine. Both full-time and work-based programmes have been developed to meet the demands of the rapidly changing rural economy.