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A chance meeting at a regional industry event has sparked new opportunities for staff working at a North East engineering firm.

The Directors of Northern Engineering Solutions connected with representatives from 3T Training Services at the NEPIC Meet The Members Conference and Exhibition in October. This led to them enrolling two team members on a specialist 5-week welding course at the start of the year.

Chris Rutherford and Michael Anderson successfully completed the ECITB ReSkill Welder course at 3T’s training centre on the Tyne Tunnel Industrial Estate. The course covered various welding techniques, including Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding and Manual Metal Arc (MMA) welding.

Speaking about the training, Mr Anderson, said: “I found the course extremely beneficial, as I was able to learn about five different welding processes. The instructor had a vast knowledge, and I tried to learn as much from him as possible in the time available. We also covered important health and safety information about the welding processes.”

Mr Rutherford, who is currently completing another training course, added: “It’s been a few years since I’ve engaged in training for an employer, so I was a little apprehensive on arrival. Thankfully, the trainer put my nerves at ease, and I enjoyed learning a new skill. We had plenty of opportunities to be hands-on with the equipment, and I appreciated how the trainer adapted the sessions to everyone’s preferred learning style. I now feel far more confident in completing welding tasks.”

Based in North Shields, Northern Engineering specialises in mechanical, electrical, and process engineering (MEP), including delivering turnkey process piping solutions to connect production environments. It offers high and ultra-high-purity piping systems, orbital welding, and stainless steel welding, among other services. The business has worked with clients such as Pragmatic, De La Rue, CPI, Sterling Pharma, and GSK.

Simon Taylor, Director of Northern Engineering Solutions, said: “Investing in increasing the skill sets of our staff ensures that we can continue to strengthen our capabilities and the services we deliver for our clients. We are committed to enhancing the knowledge of our team members through formal training and internal knowledge transfer. This supports our business growth ambitions.”

“Further training is already planned for this year, and we have also recently integrated an internal mentoring programme for some of our young engineers.”

The NEPIC Meet The Members Conference and Exhibition is an annual event designed to showcase the region’s processing sector and supply chain. NEPIC works closely with member companies to facilitate connections, promote collaboration and enable growth.
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Joanne Fryett, Interim CEO, said: “This is a great example of what happens at our annual conference, and it’s so encouraging to hear the feedback. New relationships and collaborations, such as the one formed between Northern Engineering Solutions and 3T Training Services, are key to advancing the sector. We continue to support the industry and facilitate opportunities for members to connect.”