Coleg Gwent, one of Wales’ largest further education colleges, has officially launched the Dennison Advanced Materials Centre, the first of its kind in the country.

Economy secretary, Ken Skates, officially opened the new centre at the college’s Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone with companies including British Airways, GKN Aerospace and Zodiac Aerospace.

The centre, that was part funded by the Welsh government, is named after Jon Dennison, the former government liaison director at GKN Aerospace who died in 2015.

Dennison was a pioneer in the field of composite materials and had a vision of creating a ‘Composites Corridor’ in South Wales. His aim was to train those based in South Wales with sector expertise, focusing on young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to realise their potential.

Coleg Gwent will introduce the first Advanced Composites Apprenticeship course in Wales which students can study from January 2019 in the new centre, which consists of four classrooms. 

Some students already have experience with composite materials as they helped build the College racing car as part of their course; they will also learn to maintain and service the car on the track and in the classroom.

“We’re thrilled to be the first college in Wales, and fourth college in the UK, to offer the ‘Introduction to Composites’ course for students,” says John Sexton, campus director, Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone.

“We’ve been working closely with the National Composite Centre on the course content and required equipment, so students can be confident that they’re learning the most up-to-date techniques.” 

Before the course is rolled out to students from January, Cwmbran based company Zodiac Aerospace has enrolled some of their staff to pilot the course, in order to upskill their engineers and shop floor workers.

“We’d like to thank Zodiac Aerospace Ltd who have provided our first cohort of students and with whom we will continue to work very closely indeed. We’ll be looking to roll out the course to other companies in the near future, watch this space,” adds Sexton.

The composites sector in Wales stands at £2.3bn but has the potential to grow to £12bn by 2030.