Institution news
The President was accompanied by Ian Parsons BSc MSc CEng FIMechE, Chair of the Western Region and of the Bath and Bristol Area; and by Alan King, Institution Business Development Manager, and his colleague, Jill Dwyer.
Beginning his visit at AgustaWestland Limited (AWL), Richard Folkson presented a certificate to John Ponsonby, UK Managing Director, in recognition of AWL gaining Institution accreditation for the company’s apprenticeship scheme. Richard commented that he thought it was important to support apprentices to go on and achieve professional registration as Engineering Technicians and to continue with their professional development.
Mike Overd CEng FIMechE, Chief Project Engineer – Apache, Sea King and Chinook at AWL – then led Richard and his party on a tour of the build line and the structural materials test engineering laboratory. Mike is AWL’s Industrial Liaison Officer. The visit concluded with a round table discussion between Richard and a group of AWL’s developing Institution engineers which covered the benefits of membership, engineering creativity and business ethics.
Mike, who is also the Scheme Owner for AWL’s Developing Engineers Programme, commented: “Richard’s visit is very welcome since it demonstrates that AWL’s accredited developing engineers programme has a high level of support and recognition. I am sure that Richard was impressed by the variety and quality of the engineering we do here.”
Ian Parsons said: “It was fantastic to meet the group of enthusiastic young engineers working at Yeovil and we look forward to developing the reinvigorated relationship with AWL. We hope to support and guide STEM engagement with the local community, harnessing the undoubted talent of the group.
Mike Overd, Professor Richard Folkson and John Ponsonby
In the afternoon the Institution party visited design and engineering company SC Group in Honiton, Devon, where they were received by Steve Austen CEng FIMechE, Engineering Director.
Nearly half the Group’s UK-based 30-strong engineering team have chartered engineer status or are working towards professional registration with the Institution. Five years ago there were two. The company feels that its alignment with the Institution, and the professional registration of its engineers, is playing an important role in SC Group’s successful diversification strategy into new sectors.
Steve Austen, who was named IMechE Wessex Region ‘Engineer of the Year’ in 2015, said: “Being registered as a Chartered Engineer with the Institution is an internationally recognised accreditation, which is respected across multiple industry sectors. It provides our new and existing customers with assurance of our high level of professional competency and compliance.”
Members of the party visited the engineering team in the design office and toured the workshops, where they inspected Supacat’s new Lightweight Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV400) and SC Innovation’s Lifeboat Launch & Recovery System, developed with the RNLI.
The visit concluded at the test track, where Richard and the delegation from the Institution were invited to test-drive the acclaimed ‘Jackal’ and other high-mobility vehicles, for which the Group is renowned.
During his visit, Richard said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet with the hugely talented engineers at SC Group and to witness some of the cutting-edge innovations the company is developing. SC Group is a UK manufacturing success story. The equipment and vehicles [these engineers] are developing are integral to the work of the army, as well as lifeboat rescue teams, and show just how important it is for the UK to have a vibrant and skilled engineering workforce.”
“Supacat has been a stalwart supporter of the Institution's Somerset Area, which is much appreciated, and we seek to help the company develop its engineering graduates and apprentices towards professional registration.”
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