Greater Birmingham & Solihull Institute of Technology
About Greater Birmingham & Solihull IoT
Institutes of technology (IoTs) were established across the country by the government as a national network of partnerships between local colleges, universities and leading employers. Backed by a £290 million government investment, IoTs deliver the very best in technical education. The Greater Birmingham & Solihull IoT specialises in Engineering and Manufacturing with particular focus on higher technical education at Level 4 and 5, with emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) content.
It is also able to provide high-quality access to learning for young people taking T-levels or A-levels who want to progress to higher technical education, adult learners who want access to further skills training and employers who want to develop new skills within their workforce.
Why is it needed?
The IoT is needed to respond to the range of current and future challenges within the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector in order to retrain, upskill and inject new talent with the latest skills and knowledge to meet employers' needs. It will actively drive new collaborations and partnerships, increase research opportunities and support knowledge transfer potential, enabling greater opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds in the sector.
The Greater Birmingham & Solihull IoT is a region-wide collaboration between the following partners and stakeholders:
Partners
Further education colleges
- Solihull College & University Centre (SCUC) (Lead)
- South & City College Birmingham (SCCB) (Anchor)
- Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet)
Higher education institutions
- Aston University (Anchor)
- Birmingham City University (BCU) (Anchor)
- University of Birmingham (UoB)
- University College Birmingham (UCB)
Employer advisers
- Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd (Chair of Board)
- Salts Healthcare Ltd (Board member)
- Alucast
- Continental Engineering Services
- HydraForce
Stakeholder advisers
- Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership
- Birmingham City Council
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
- Aim Higher West Midlands
GBSIoT Hub
Located on Holt Street, the GBSIoT Hub is a state-of-the-art facility in the centre of Birmingham that houses the largest Cyber Physical Manufacturing Rig in Europe. It is a space that represents an exciting collaboration in Greater Birmingham and Solihull, supports educators and employers alike, showcases the best of engineering and advanced manufacturing, and inspires all to see a different future.
The Hub contains two classrooms with screens and hybrid meeting capability, each classroom can fit up to 20 participants, these can be combined to create a room that has a 40-person capacity. Coffee and tea is available on site for meetings at a low-cost with catering suggestions available if you require food. Multiple areas are also open for hot desk working for stakeholders and partners.
GBSIoT Hub is open to use for education, CPD, event and meeting bookings right in the heart of Birmingham.
The Learning Factory
The Learning Factory within GBSIoT Hub houses the largest Cyber Physical Manufacturing Rig in Europe. A scaled down ‘factory of the future’, this technology brings industry into the classroom, showcasing what a real factory workspace looks like in 2023.