With the number of ‘University Technical Colleges’ growing it creates new opportunities for 14- to 19-year-olds to take full-time, technically-oriented courses. Haughton Design has continued to show their support to new academies reprising their role as Business Challenge Partner to The JCB Academy and the Black Country UTC in Walsall.
Supporting both business and engineering modules to students Haughton Design’s Managing Director, David Mills, provides real world examples and sets challenges for students who prefer hands-on practical learning.
Haughton Design’s unique blend of product design and mechanical engineering has supported the Black Country UTC’s ‘Engineering Design’ module allowing students to understand the importance of engineering design through the study of engineering products and components. As the UK currently faces a future shortage of home-grown engineers, the UTC addresses this problem and focuses on turning out highly skilled job-ready young people needed by local employers.
The JCB Academy students studying ‘Starting a Small Business’ benefit from Mills’ insight as he founded Haughton Design in 1995. He notes “it is fantastic to return to The JCB Academy after the success of last year. I have found The JCB Academy incredibly refreshing; they welcome a range of business partners including smaller companies such as Haughton Design. As a business challenge partner I have been able to regularly visit the academy, providing students with a real insight into what running a business is like.”