Skills Support

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SKILLS

The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre will play a key role in the employability and skills eco-system. By listening to industry voice, combining knowledge and equipment and leveraging partnerships through the City & Growth Deals and beyond, AMIC aims to augment support and deliver real solutions for now and the future, supporting industry to grow and innovate.

Person in a factory with a tablet

AMIC SKILLS STRATEGY

AMIC is currently developing its Skills Strategy and workplan based around four key themes:

  • Collaborate and Convene
  • Develop and Deliver
  • Support and Influence
  • Profile and Showcase

The strategy will underpin the role AMIC will play in the skills eco-system and will be developed with input from a wide range of stakeholders.

If you would like to get involved in the development of AMIC Skills strategy or discuss your skills or workforce needs, please contact:

Jenny McAuley, AMIC Skills Lead at J.McAuley@qub.ac.uk

 

 

RESPONDING TO NEEDS

A Skills Assessment, originally initiated by Belfast Region City Deal and later extended to cover all four City and Growth deals across Northern Ireland identified gaps in skills provision and made the following recommendations to help ensure that an appropriately qualified workforce can be put in place to meet the anticipated development and growth of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector expected in Northern Ireland:

  1. Develop a collaborative approach to future skills provision for the sector.
  2. Align and re-scale existing provision to meet current and future demand reflecting industry needs.
  3. Colleges and Universities work to expand the range of apprenticeship and higher level apprenticeship pathways.
  4. Increase attractiveness and raise awareness of careers potential in the
  5. Prepare for emerging skills needs associated with sustainability and net zero.

The report will help inform AMIC's Skills Strategy and Delivery Plan.

 

Advanced Manufacturing Skills Assessment Executive Summary (691 KB)
Advanced Manufacturing Skills Assessment Report (2,577 KB)
Advanced Manufacturing Skills Assessment Report Appendices (2,178 KB)

TRAINING COURSES 

With extensive experience, AMIC staff provide a range of training courses for industry which can be tailored to meet specific requirements, some examples are included below and further courses can be offered or developed.

  • Materials Appreciation
    • Introduction to polymer materials. 
    • Introduction to rheology of polymer melts. 
  • Polymer Processing
    • Single screw extrusion. 
    • Twin screw extrusion and compounding. 
    • Blown film extrusion. 
    • Tube and pipe extrusion. 
    • Multilayer extrusion of film and sheet. 
    • Profile extrusion. 
    • Sheet extrusion and thermoforming. 
    • Calendaring.
    • Rotational moulding. 
    • Injection moulding. 
  • Analysis & Testing
    • Tensile and flexural analysis. 
    • Impact analysis. 
    • Thermal analysis (DSC, DMA) 
    • Spectroscopy (FTIR). 
    • Rheometry.
    • Surface characterisation (energy, friction). 
  • Particular applications and case studies

    AMIC, Sustainable Polymers and Composites can also provide courses tailored to particular applications and case studies including: 

    • Monolayer and multilayer flexible film products for food packaging. 
    • Film and sheet for medical device and pharmaceutical packaging applications. 
    • Film extrusion for textile applications. 
    • Tube extrusion for medical device applications. 
    • Multilayer tubing for automotive applications. 
    • Polymer nanocomposites. 
    • Polymer wood composite.