The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, with Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, Executive Chairman of the AMRC.

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, visited the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) on Monday 7 November 2016.

The First Minister met apprentices developing the skills to become the next generation of advanced manufacturers at the AMRC’s Training Centre. These apprentices, who are employed by manufacturing companies and awarded qualifications by the University of Sheffield, explained how their programme is helping businesses to plug the UK skills gap and increase productivity in the advanced manufacturing sector.

Describing the AMRC as a ‘magnificent facility’, Ms Sturgeon also visited the AMRC’s Factory 2050 and Factory of the Future to learn how the partnerships between academia, business and government could act as a model for the Scottish Government’s planned National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland.

The First Minister also met with businesses in the region who work with the AMRC to develop advanced manufacturing capacity, skills, products and processes.