Open Doors Event for Robertsbridge Community College
General Manager, Nev Norval and our CAD Technician Apprentice, George Lankston demonstrate CNC processes. Students find out what it’s like to be an apprentice at Focus SB.
As a proud Make UK member we were pleased to welcome students from Robertsbridge Community College to our main factory on Wednesday 9th, ahead of this year's Manufacturing Day on 24th September.
Organised by our Head of HR, Jo Cloute in collaboration with Project Officer of Careers Hub East Sussex County Council, Henry Clayson and Qualified Careers Adviser Wendy Coxeter, the Open Doors tour of our manufacturing processes was led by our MD, Ciaran Mitchell and General Manager, Nev Norval, supported by our design, mechanical engineering, finishing and inspection experts.
Henry Clayson says: “Thank you to Focus SB for taking part in the Open Doors event and giving young people the opportunity to visit their site and see and learn about the various job roles and skills involved in the sector. It was an excellent day and it wouldn't be possible without the involvement and enthusiasm of local employers. We hope to organise more visits soon!”
This event provided a valuable opportunity for us to highlight the many varied careers in manufacturing which still include the need for traditional craftsman skills. There is a growing demand for people with IT skills, skills in robotics and AI, design and creative, sales and marketing, HR, accountancy and administrative skills.
Our MD, Ciaran Mitchell comments: “It was a pleasure to welcome this group of young minds to our facilities and to share time and information with them. They were a wonderful group of students and I hope that our sharing gave them food for thought regarding opportunities in the world of engineering and manufacture in UK. Thank you to all from Robertsbridge Community College for organising.”
Robertsbridge Community College is committed to careers education and to supporting every student's ambition. Its students fed back their favourite aspects about the visit in our boardroom and asked questions on topics which included:
Student watches laser marking demonstration.
Our robot arm - which efficiently polishes our switch caps - described as ‘pretty cool'.
Prism faceplate style laser polishing.
Computer network security.
Laser marking, highlighting creativity.
CAD programming.
Watching a big sheet of metal being cut.
Machine cleaning and maintenance.
Liked the texture of metal.
General Manager, Nev Norval says: “It was amazing to see the genuine interest from the young students, and an absolute pleasure to be able to share insight to what we do. Equally, how that relates to both the creative and engineering minds of future generations”.
We look forward to opening our doors again soon and would like to thank all the visitors for their enthusiasm and engagement.
Photography: Peter Cripps
