Institution news
The representatives from the Port of Felixstowe were Ian Martin, Engineering Manager (Equipment Technology Department) and Engineering Training, and Jon Griggs, Senior Technician Operational Support (Equipment Technology Department).
Also attending the presentation were James Alsop IEng FIMechE, Head of Engineering at Hutchison Ports (UK); Peter Wotherspoon, Vice-Chair of the Institution’s Eastern region; Lucy Francis, the Institution’s Membership Development Executive Assistant and Lara Mallett, the Institution’s Business Development Manager for the region.
During the presentation at One Birdcage Walk, the group shared details with the President of the port’s investments in energy conservation and environmental programmes, along with its continued investment in new technology and major assets.
The port has been running its engineering apprenticeship programme for more than 25 years, however, the EngTech programme was only introduced in 2009.
Since 2009, more than 30 of the apprentices that have completed the programme have applied for professional registration. The port currently has 16 engineering apprentices on its scheme.
James commented: “The port’s engineering apprenticeship programme has essentially provided the resources to maintain our asset management strategy, as more than 60% of the engineering staff employed by Hutchison Ports (UK) have been apprenticeship trained within the HPUK programme.
“The level of specialisation and introduction of new technology means the continuous professional development and training of our engineers is essential to maintain the level of skills and experience needed to maintain the port’s assets.”
He added: “The Institution provides guidance and access to learning materials for trainees and technicians to support academic training in support of their continuous professional development. In addition, sponsorship has been provided for internal trainees as well as local events and activities arranged by the Institution.”
According to James, having professionally registered Engineering Technicians on the team means the port is able to maintain its status as the major international container port in the UK.
He said: “We are reliant upon safe, reliable equipment that is maintained to high standards. Many accreditation awards have been achieved by the port over a period of many years. This has often required it to demonstrate the quality of training and competency of our skilled engineering personnel.
“The port has maintained an almost 100% retention rate for engineering apprentices, and the planning of recruitment is aligned to the particular skills programme that the port needs to maintain its asset base.
“The port has been particularly good at supporting continuous professional development for all of its staff and trained technicians. There are numerous examples of apprentice trainees entering the business and continuing their training and development to support applications for positions in supervision and management.”
The port is the largest container port in the UK by volume, has around 2,500 employees and has led to the creation of about 32,500 jobs. It has 2.2m sq foot of warehousing, and processes 4 million TEU per annum. It is used by more than 30 major shipping lines, which combined make more than 3,000 calls per year. The largest container ships using the port are 400m long, 60m wide and weigh 190,000t.