Keeping An Eye On Future Engineering Talent

With recent studies suggesting that Britain is going to need more than 2.2 million engineers over the next five to 10 years, one north-east engineering company continues to place an importance on nurturing young talent by helping a host of current employees to attain a range of national qualifications.

LFH Engineering, specialists in the design and manufacture of pumps, has four members of staff who have all recently achieved a varying range of qualifications whilst working with the Ellon-based company.

Gary Dean, 46, and Michael Munro, 33, have recently graduated from Aberdeen College, achieving their HNC in Mechanical Engineering. The Ellon men, who both started working for the company in 2010, have increased their skillset by completing the course, building on their previous knowledge of the engineering industry.

Brothers Chad, 18, and Glenn Hill, 20, are both in their third year of a four year apprenticeship program with LFH and have recently achieved their NC in Manufacturing and Mechanical Maintenance on day release at Aberdeen College. Alongside this, they have also obtained a range of national certificates and have enrolled in evening classes to obtain their HNC, furthering their education in tandem with their work experience.

The company has also further strengthened its promise in developing future talent by appointing two trainee CNC machinists to its workforce. Barry Armstrong, 32 and Daniel Ritchie, 20, will both be paired with an experienced operator and will learn on the job, gaining first-hand experience on a day-to-day basis.

They join 25 -year-old Frenchman Arnaud Girin who began working with the firm in 2012 and has recently started his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at Robert Gordon University. He will continue to work part-time throughout his final year and already has a French DUT in Mechanical and Production Engineering.

Les Hill, managing director at LFH Engineering, said: "At LFH, we take the conscious approach to nurture our staff through their learning and we're really beginning to reap the rewards from this method of working. For these guys to be able to put what they learn throughout their courses into practice within our workplace is of great benefit to the company as a whole.

"It's testament to the hard work and positive attitude of our staff that we are seeing fantastic results across the board and we will continue to do our utmost to allow our workforce to flourish."