Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, has congratulated Stourbridge firm HCM Engineering on its recent recruitment of six local young people on a five-year apprenticeship.
During a visit to the company, which designs and manufactures mould tools for the metals and plastics industries, Margot met with the new apprentices and enquired about their paths into engineering and manufacturing while touring the shop floor.
As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Trade and Investment, Margot also discussed exporting into overseas markets with the Managing Director Simon Hanson, as well as perceived skills shortages and the need to encourage more young people to consider a career in engineering and manufacturing.
Margot said: “I was delighted to visit HCM Engineering and meet their new intake of apprentices. HCM Engineering is a long-standing Stourbridge business of over 40 years, so it is great to see them taking on young people and training them up to become highly-skilled employees. It is vital that we continue to increase the number of apprenticeships available in Stourbridge and the Black Country, while also encouraging young people to take up these apprenticeships, particularly in engineering and manufacturing.”
Simon Hanson said: “HCM Engineering continues to encourage highly skilled practical and academic engineers, with a strong work ethic, to ensure the future demands of UK manufacturing are met. We need to promote our industry to demonstrate that it is thriving in many areas, rather than sometimes ‘talking it down’! At HCM Engineering we plan to inspire our growing new team via our training academy to breed world class engineers with a pride in what we are capable of in the UK. Manufacturing is in our DNA in the Black Country and we need to nurture this at home, in schools and future education to bridge the skills gap.”