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New start for polymer centre
Saturday, 30 January, 2010
Telford's reputation as a centre of excellence for the polymer industry has been confirmed with the start of a new chapter for its internationally-renowned training and innovation centre.
Wolverhampton College has stepped in to take over the former Polymer Training Limited business, which went into administration at the end of last year. It has now relaunched the business with a new name - Polymer Training & Innovation Centre - and relocated from its former base at Halesfield, onto the neighbouring Stafford Park industrial estate.
The investment has already saved the jobs of several workers from the former PTL operation, and the new owners have pledged to take on more staff in the coming months. It ensures that Telford continues to offer an international resource centre for the polymer industry, specialising in training, further education and support for the design of new products.
Eric Carter, Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said: "Telford has built a reputation over recent years as an important hub for plastics and polymer industries, so this is excellent news.
"Wolverhampton College launched a new hairdressing training college at Stafford Park last year, and this is their next step in their plan to build a thriving campus in Telford. The college has acquired all the assets of the former Polymer Training Limited business, including machinery and course literature."
One Telford provided one-to-one support to Polymer Training Limited staff who were facing redundancy when the original company was being wound up, and assisted Wolverhampton College in its search for new premises.
"This is a major vote of confidence in Telford. Wolverhampton College could have taken the service out of town, but recognised it remained the ideal location," said Eric.
Georgina Parker, Director of Employer Engagement for the College, said learners from across the country were left without a training provider when PTL went into administration last autumn.
"This was a worrying time for these learners who had worked so hard towards their qualification and faced the prospect of being unable to complete it. We had worked closely with PTL for many years as one of our Train to Gain sub-contractors, so were committed to giving these learners the help and assistance they needed to complete their qualification.
"We have already engaged two of PTL's former trainers to deliver the qualifications and plan to take on more in the near future."
One Telford has replaced the Transforming Telford brand along with all the services aimed at promoting economic growth and tourism. These are currently in the process of transferring back to Telford & Wrekin Council by the end of March, as part of a new economic development unit.
