April 2023 | Armada Engineering launches new training centre in Cornwall

Armada Engineering, a marine engineering company based in Falmouth in Cornwall, has launched the first training centre for hydraulics in the South West of England. The company has been approved as an accredited training centre by the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA), the UK trade association for the fluid power industry.

The Armada Engineering Skills Academy has been developed in partnership with Cornwall Marine Network and is a CMN Centre of Excellence, part-funded by the European Social Fund.

Armada Engineering specialises in advanced engineering and hydraulics for the marine industry. In addition to its head office in Falmouth, it has an engineering centre in Barcelona in Spain to service superyachts in the Mediterranean.

Managing Director Joff Collins says: “There is a skills shortage in engineering across the UK and we want to help boost engineering skills in the South West. This will help enable the region to cement a position at the forefront of marine technology, an area where we already excel.”

Joff Collins continues: “Our new training centre in Falmouth is the only place in the South West to offer this accredited foundation course in hydraulics. Up until now, people would have needed to travel a significant distance for equivalent training.

“We are proud that it will be one of the first employer-led training centres as part of CMN’s Centres for Excellence Programme.”

Paul Wickes, Chief Executive of Cornwall Marine Network says: “Hydraulics is a vital skill for marine engineering and wider engineering applications such as wind turbines. We are delighted to see Armada launching this new BFPA training centre in Cornwall. This makes hydraulics training more accessible for people and companies wanting to develop. Unlike most other industries, the hydraulic industry has no minimum qualification requirements. So, the purpose of the course and BFPA qualification is to establish an industry standard for training. This will ultimately increase knowledge and safety, enabling the full potential of this vital technology to be realised.”

Joff Collins adds: “Hydraulics has an incredibly exciting future as new applications are found at the cutting edge of innovation. At Armada Engineering, we constantly pioneer innovative designs which expand the boundaries of what can be achieved with hydraulic engineering.” 

Joff Collins concludes: “In Cornwall and the South West, we are entering a new era of innovation in marine technology and hydraulics.  At Armada, we are planning to continue to expand our training centre in partnership with CMN, with a range of new courses, including a follow on level in hydraulics and a new apprenticeship programme. We are committed to building engineering skills in the region, so that the South West of England can continue to build its reputation as a world leader in marine technology.”