Engineering diploma 'window into career' - 26-07-2007 - 16:58

Leading industry figures and secretary of state Ed Balls have praised the development of a new engineering diploma.

Speaking at the London South Bank University, Mr Balls, secretary of state for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said that co-operation between government and major engineering employers such as British Gas, JCB, RWE npower and the Royal Academy of Engineering had created a useful way of educating future engineers.

Against a backdrop of an engineering skills shortage, he said: "Diplomas are key to our reform of the education system. I want to see the brightest and the best taking diplomas which will give them more choice and allow them to get the careers they really want."

There are five diplomas currently offered which cover construction, engineering, IT, creative media, and society, health and development.

They provide a bridge between school and employment and they will "enable young people to see the advantages of pursuing careers in industry", according to Rod Kenyon, director of British Gas Engineering Academy

UK engineering companies recruit as far as Brazil - 25-07-2007 - 17:12

The shortage of graduates with core science and technology degrees has seen UK engineer firms spread their recruitment search as far as Brazil, according to one expert.

Nigel Hirst, the managing director of engineering consultancy Haden Freeman, said that a shortfall in the number of skilled engineers is costing the industry "large sums of money" and delaying the development of new products.

With the number of applicants for these courses staying at around the 245,000 mark and dropping as a percentage of total university graduates from 11 per cent to eight per cent, it is clear that as the engineering industry tries to grow it will either be hampered or have to look further a field.

Mr Hirst said that education system has to interest students to support the engineering sector.

He added: "If the present recruitment situation continues, in ten years' time, when we need a new power station built, there will be no one to build it. The sector as a whole needs a public relations facelift to make it more appealing to young people."

Norwich 'engineering legend' recovering - 24-07-2007 - 11:20

A Norwich company labelled a "British engineering legend" is on its way to recovery after it was saved from closure last month, according to its new owners.

Laurence Scott & Electromotors' future looked bleak after cashflow problems threatened to close the company down until Austrian group ATB bought the company.

ATB has promised that the Norwich operations will continue and has seen good results, with the new company ATB Laurence Scott seeing sales of £1.3 million in June.

ATB chief executive Christian Schmidt told the Eastern Daily Press that he expected to make £9.4 million in sales over the rest of the year, which would mark an increase of 30 per cent over last year.

He said: "We were absolutely right with our initial assessment that ATB Laurence Scott has a very skilled and motivated workforce, a great customer base and a state-of-the-art product range.

"Laurence Scott is a British engineering legend that we are proud to be associated with."

He added that he expected to use the company's strengths to make a speedy recovery.

"We have a premier international position in the sector of oil and gas, power generation and defence markets and will be much more competitive."

Carillion signs up to unemployed scheme - 20-07-2007 - 15:56

Support services and construction company Carillion has signed up to the government's Local Employment Partnership to help a greater number find jobs in the sector.

The scheme is targeted to helping the long-term unemployed and those that are disadvantaged to get back in to work and has been championed by prime minister Gordon Brown.

The Local Employment Partnership will be run in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, and already has major companies such as Asda, B&Q, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury and Tesco signed up.

Carillion will be the first company in the construction sector to sign up to the scheme.

It did so after a personal invitation from the prime minister, who met representatives from the company on Wednesday at Number 10 Downing Street on Wednesday morning.

Mr Brown highlighted the need for companies to cast the net as wide as possible in recruitment in order to remain as competitive as possible, and stressed the need for employers to foster the talent and ideas of those they hire.

Carillion held a special event on Thursday together with Jobcentre Plus to mark the start of their partnership.