Carl Patrick, right, met members of FANUC worldwide
FANUC UK has supported the author of a new study into skills and apprenticeships in engineering by demonstrating its own training and development strategies across the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan.
The study, which was undertaken by former engineering apprentice, Carl Patrick, identified ways in which the UK could replicate countries that demonstrate strong, long-term growth within manufacturing and engineering.
Using financial support from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, an organisation that helps people travel overseas to find solutions to a range of challenges in the UK, Patrick visited the manufacturing facilities of brands such as FANUC to find out how they engage future generations of engineers.
With the support of FANUC UK, Patrick interviewed engineers across services, applications, metal cutting, wire eroding, plastic forming, research and development, robotics, technical support, and management. He was also given personal tours of FANUC’s facilities in Europe, the USA and Japan, as well as insight into FANUC’s training academies and apprenticeship schemes.
“We’ve relished the opportunity to demonstrate FANUC’s training and development capabilities – not just in the UK, but around the world too,” explained Andrew Armstrong, Sales and Marketing Manager at FANUC UK.
“With the 2016 Hays Global Skills Index showing that Britain’s engineering skills shortage has been steadily growing for the past five years, it is my sincere hope that Carl’s research will be taken on by Government and used to build engagement with future generations of engineers. Only then can we make UK manufacturing a globally competitive industry once more.”
Patrick, who works as a pre-sales engineer for Mills CNC Limited in Leamington Spa, said: “I decided to compile this report after seeing, first-hand, the diminishing skills and interest in trade industries. I’m also a STEM ambassador, so I often visit local schools and colleges to give talks on engineering. During this time, I’ve noticed three persistent challenges: a lack of funding, a lack of awareness and lingering misconceptions about careers in engineering.
“In spite of these problems, however, FANUC UK still gets around 30 applications for each apprenticeship a year. Visiting FANUC’s facilities in Coventry, Luxembourg, Michigan and Oshino-mura gave great insight into how they do it around the world. Using this information, I’ve now put together a set of recommendations and proposals, which I urge the UK government to consider as part of its ongoing campaign for 2018’s Year of Engineering.”
Carl’s report, ‘Changing perceptions towards engineering: ensuring our country’s manufacturing future’, is now available to view here.