Mike
Hill (centre) showing Tom Coley (left) and Ewan Donaghue (right) how to set a crimping machinelisterfluidpower, the division of James Lister and Sons Limited focusing on hydraulic and pneumatic supplies and services, have taken on two engineering apprentices as the first in a planned annual recruitment. Tom Coley and Ewan Donaghue are commencing a four year apprenticeship through the EEF program and will be starting their workshop training at the EEF’s bespoke training centre in Witton later this month. Prior to that they are spending some time at Lister’s Smethwick and Willenhall branches, meeting their future work colleagues and gaining an appreciation of the sort of work for which they are training; a far cry from the school classrooms where they both were studying until recently.
“The breadth of knowledge required to be an effective hydraulics engineer is vast,” says Craig Thomas, General Manager Operations at listerfluidpower,
“We are involved in everything from volume hose assembly for OEMs through to complex on-site specifications and installation, including ultra-high pressure valves and control circuits. A rapidly expanding part of our business is our HoseDoctor mobile hose replacement service, where every job is different and requires a high level of engineering awareness…..this is a potential role that Tom and Ewan may move into once their training is complete.”
The apprentices will undertake a broad engineering apprenticeship but it will be progressively tailored in the second to fourth year to ready them for a career in fluid power.
Peter Davies, Chief Executive of James Lister and Sons Limited, continued; “Whilst we have many very competent engineers already in the business, like a lot of companies we have found that the age profile of engineers is such that we needed to help ourselves by investing in the development of future fluid power specialists. This year is the first time that we have engaged with a structured apprenticeship program and it is our intention to continue adding two or three apprentices per year on an ongoing basis to keep pace with our business growth.”
“The breadth of knowledge required to be an effective hydraulics engineer is vast,” says Craig Thomas, General Manager Operations at listerfluidpower,
“We are involved in everything from volume hose assembly for OEMs through to complex on-site specifications and installation, including ultra-high pressure valves and control circuits. A rapidly expanding part of our business is our HoseDoctor mobile hose replacement service, where every job is different and requires a high level of engineering awareness…..this is a potential role that Tom and Ewan may move into once their training is complete.”
The apprentices will undertake a broad engineering apprenticeship but it will be progressively tailored in the second to fourth year to ready them for a career in fluid power.
Peter Davies, Chief Executive of James Lister and Sons Limited, continued; “Whilst we have many very competent engineers already in the business, like a lot of companies we have found that the age profile of engineers is such that we needed to help ourselves by investing in the development of future fluid power specialists. This year is the first time that we have engaged with a structured apprenticeship program and it is our intention to continue adding two or three apprentices per year on an ongoing basis to keep pace with our business growth.”