Richard Francis CEng has worked with great determination, not only in his engineering duties at MBDA, but in the valuable and demanding role of mentor to many of his developing colleagues. Such commitment is the backbone of the industry’s ability to progress its talented engineers. His encouragement has helped many individuals realise their potential.
Richard is an Affiliate Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, thanks to the work he has done with the Institution, and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). He is due to retire from MBDA at the end of May.
The company honoured him at its Business Awards ceremony, held on 20 March, commending Richard for his voluntary work and commitment to developing his colleagues’ potential. He was presented with the award by Iain West, MBDA UK Finance Director.
Malcolm Rush CEng FIMechE is Industrial Liaison Officer for the Institution at MBDA. He has worked with Richard for a number of years and commented: “Over the years, Richard has put an enormous amount of effort into encouraging the professional development of our employees. As a Mentor and MPDS Administrator he has been influential in making sure our training scheme has retained accreditation, not only with the IMechE but also with the IET and Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS). His committed support and encouragement has seen many people achieve professional qualifications and their career development goals.”
Richard has committed much of his time to mentoring, but recently raised the stakes. He says: “In the last year I decided that I needed to go out with a bang! I set up two major surgeries with IET and IMechE and helped 30 colleagues become Chartered Engineers, and two colleagues become Incorporated Engineers, within one year. I’ve also been working with the RAeS on behalf of MBDA employees.”
Earlier in his career, Richard says, he “loved being an apprentice.” He had always wanted to be a toolmaker, and enjoyed the hands-on work. It helped him to learn the skills of engineering, grew his enthusiasm and love of the industry. He enjoyed the buzz of the shop floor and the world of manufacturing. He later studied for a degree, but it was the rather unclear path he found after graduating which inspired him to make a change.
“I went through the large part of my career as an Incorporated Engineer as I didn’t have an accredited qualification. In fact, as I learned when I applied for my Fellowship with the IET, I had missed out on becoming Chartered for 20 years, as my degree should, in fact, have been accredited. What has driven me on is the feeling that, had there been someone supporting, encouraging and directing me, I could have developed my career slightly differently, which is why I have been so motivated to offer that support to new engineers, to help them understand accreditation and professional development.”
Richard says he became involved in mentoring and professional development (MPDS) because, conversely, he had never had that advantage when he was developing as an engineer. He saw that there was a need for a structure of professional development at MBDA, from apprenticeships to chartership, and, working with a number of professional engineering institutions, used his influence and dedication to make it happen.
Along with colleagues, Richard set up monthly mentoring meetings to get younger recruits on the road to becoming chartered engineers, as well as organising regular surgeries with the Institution and other bodies. These have been ongoing for about 12 years, and over the last ten years or so he has been running the structure of professional development for colleagues, who have used the company-run ‘Get Chartered’ and ‘Make it Happen’ schemes. In all, Richard says, 100 employees have gained professional registration, largely thanks to the structure that has run so well at MBDA.
“I hope that this success can be carried on when I retire at the end of May,” says Richard. “It requires a lot of commitment from senior executives and engineers, but the rewards are great.”
Lara Mallett, Business Development Manager with the Institution, says:
“Richard has played a great role at MBDA in helping engineers and technicians to become registered. Over the years he has mentored, sponsored and helped set up accredited schemes. The Institution will miss his tremendous contribution and we would like to thank him for all his years of support.”
Also from the Institution, and keen to add her thanks and praise of Richard’s work, Jane Noakes, Senior Executive, Accreditation and Professional Development, says: “Richard Francis’s commitment to the professional development of his engineers was evidenced by the robust way he managed the progress of his MPDS cohort via our online tool, Career Developer. A regular user of the system, from its first launch, Richard’s insight into the user experience was an invaluable part of our development process.”
Richard concludes: “When I retire I intend to have a good year’s rest! I’ve made no plans to do anything, just yet, but I’ll retain my links with the Institutions I’ve worked with. I’m intending to spend time looking at what I can do with my retirement, before I launch into any other projects or roles!”
For information on becoming an Institution Industrial Liaison Officer for your company, please visit: http://www.imeche.org/learning/volunteering/volunteer-roles/industry-liaison