Rolls-Royce opens new Apprentice Academy

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today opened a new, state-of-the-art Apprentice Academy, at its Learning and Career Development Centre in Derby. The facility will provide capacity for Rolls-Royce to double the number of apprentices it trains. The additional apprentices will find work in the supply chain, providing an additional source of skilled labour to the UK engineering and manufacturing industry.

The facility, which spans three floors, includes a 1,200 square metre workshop area featuring the latest machines, which enables apprentices to be trained on the same equipment they will be using in the workplace.

The Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, officially opened the Rolls-Royce Apprentice Academy. He was accompanied by Colin Smith, Rolls-Royce, Director of Engineering and Technology, at a ceremony attended by employees, apprentices, suppliers and representatives of local education establishments. The Chancellor toured the new Academy and met apprentices who are currently learning about the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 aero engine, which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Chancellor also spoke with supply chain companies who will benefit from the training provided at the Academy.

George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “Excellence in engineering is what countries like Britain need if we are to win the global race that we are in. Apprenticeships and the new engineering qualifications that we are announcing today help us achieve that, by giving young people the skills that they want and that businesses and the economy need.

“I am pleased to take part in the opening of the new Rolls-Royce Apprentice Academy which will also benefit suppliers in small and medium sized manufacturing.”

Colin Smith, Rolls-Royce, Director of Engineering and Technology, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Chancellor to Rolls-Royce to celebrate the opening of our new Apprentice Academy. We set the highest standards, both in educating our people and in delivering the most efficient products in the industry for our customers. What we do is exciting and it’s great that this new Academy will offer access to state-of-the-art facilities and training to a wider range of young people who are beginning their careers in engineering.”

Rolls-Royce has been training apprentices for over 100 years, and the Grou’s apprenticeship programme is an industry leader; awarded Beacon Status by the Learning & Skills Improvement Service and OFSTED graded the programme as outstanding in all areas. 98% of our apprentices successfully complete their training compared with a 74% national average and many go on to senior roles within the organisation; 20% of our current senior managers in the UK started their careers as Rolls-Royce apprentices.

1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.
3. Annual underlying revenue was £11.3 billion in 2011, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £60.1 billion at 30 June 2012, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
4. Rolls-Royce employs over 40,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.
5. In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested £908 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
6. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.