Panel and joinery CNC machining centre specialist Masterwood (UK) Ltd has invested £200,000 in a state-of-the-art training school at its Helensburgh headquarters.

The two-storey timber frame facility and its associated offices incorporates the latest hi-tech classroom facilities including a 48in plasma screen.

Training provided ranges from two day pre-commissioning courses to one-and two-day advanced courses on the company’s growing number of tailor-made panel and joinery software packages.

Masterwood (UK) Ltd managing director Russell Corlett said the courses would cater for a maximum of nine trainees at a time and added: “Everyone attending will get the best out of the training. They will each be provided with a flat screen PC enabling them to work at their own pace.”

The system is fully networked allowing the trainer to access and control each PC and give personal training where necessary.

The advanced courses available cover Masterwood’s standard Masterwork software plus its growing number of specialised bespoke packages designed to speed up panel and joinery processing.

&#8220We decided that the best way to help them was to set up our own training school here in the UK, which also allows us to offer advanced software training courses”

Russell Corlett, Masterwood (UK) managing director

Masterwood used to take its customers from Britain and Ireland to the Masterwood factory in Rimini, Italy, for their pre-commissioning courses. But, Mr Corlett explained, few businesses today can spare employees for four days, only two of which were spent training.

“We decided that the best way to help them was to set up our own training school here in the UK, which also allows us to offer advanced software training courses.”

An added benefit of the UK courses is that they will be led by Masterwood’s own technicians, often the very ones who will install a customer’s machine and provide on-site training.

For details of the courses available call 01436 675000.