A new educational hub has been launched to give scientists and engineers the future skills needed to grasp opportunities in the global, multi-billion-pound ceramics sector.
The AMRICC Academy will provide next-generation training and development programmes that address emerging industry challenges and tackle a skills gap in both traditional and advanced ceramics.
Offering a range of carefully curated educational packages in e-learning, in-person and customised training formats, the content has been developed in consultation with industry experts.
Broad in its scope, this includes advanced ceramics applications, data science, modelling, leadership development for technical environments and machine learning.
The AMRICC Academy is located within The AMRICC Centre, a £10 million development which stands as the physical outcome from the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group’s (MICG) £18.27 million research programme, funded by Government under UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.
Representing a world first, The AMRICC Centre – opened in Staffordshire in 2024 – has an equipment suite of over 350 pieces of high-value technology and an open-access structure that enables product and process development to be carried out at an industrially relevant scale.
Sophie Hartless, Business Manager of the AMRICC Academy, said:
“The future of the ceramics sector is bright, with forecasts for the value of the advanced ceramics industry in 2025 alone standing at £143 billion.1
“Yet while the opportunities are there, it has long been established that there is a challenge with skills development and training in the sector, leading to companies of all sizes struggling to fill their vacancies and retain their talent.
“To address this, the AMRICC Academy has been developed to lead the way with dynamic training that tackles the emerging skills challenges of the industry.
“Building on the success of The AMRICC Centre, it creates a hub for all our industry training needs, delivering a new generation of personnel who are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the ceramics, aerospace, nuclear, and defence industries.”
Key partners involved with the AMRICC Academy include the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Hartree Centre, Ceramic Technology Academy and Axia Value Solutions.
Overall financial sponsor Lucideon, a founding partner of the MICG, has championed The AMRICC Centre, investing millions of pounds and providing access to industry expertise, and is actively involved in the new AMRICC Academy.
Richard Goodhead, Chief Marketing Officer at Lucideon said:
“The ceramics sector is constantly evolving and staying ahead means addressing both emerging technologies and skills gaps.
“The AMRICC Academy will address this need by providing industry-led training, developed by experts in ceramics and materials science.
“Geared towards those who are new to the sector, and to broaden the expertise of personnel already in the industry, this is an exciting development that offers a progressive approach to tackle the sector’s skills gap.
“The Academy also aligns with The AMRICC Centre’s remit to provide an educational facility to train and support material scientists for the future, developing pipelines of talent from degree apprentices, through to post-doctoral graduates, to create new, educated, ambitious talent for the UK ceramics industry.”
To find out more visit Ceramic Industry Training Courses | AMRICC Academy
