Author: European Springs Web Team

As a paid job incorporating training both on and off the job, apprenticeships lead to nationally recognised certifications. From electronics to construction and to other engineering industries, apprenticeships allow for apprentices to acquire a wide range of skills.

For both the apprentices and the businesses, apprenticeships are conducive of new skills and aptitudes, providing engineering with highly skilled and experienced workers.

Qualified Workforce

Through apprenticeships, engineering industries train an extremely qualified workforce with optimised skills. In addition, having a workforce who trains at a company ensures that the skills developed by the apprentices match the needs of the specific industry.

Future company needs can be addressed early on through apprenticeships, as businesses can source skilled future employees and managers from within. An apprenticeship can cement a young person’s career choice, which provides engineering industries with necessary resources for their continued development.

New Talent

Engineering industries require new ideas to ensure all processes are not only optimised but also revitalised. Bringing a new, fresh approach to each project and to the workplace itself, apprentices help in thinking about details that industries might not have considered before.

Showcasing their willingness and desire to learn, apprentices have a wide variety of backgrounds and aptitudes. With the probability of transmitting their excitement and eagerness to your staff, apprentices also highlight your concern over corporate social responsibility, which is likely to ensure future employees and customers’ desire to work with your business.

Increased Staff Loyalty

When employees are trained within a company, they are likely to be highly motivated and engaged with the well functioning of the business. Their commitment and support of the business that helped to train them are clearly shown in their work.

In your company and in all engineering industries, investing in apprentices ensures they associate their career with your business and will stay within it longer. Showcasing that you believe and invest in young people’s future guarantees that they are happy to work for you and that they, in turn, invest in you.

And for Apprentices?

Similar to companies, as an apprentice you will see a multitude of career skills become available to you and learn while you work and earn money. Your confidence in your own aptitudes will grow as you gain new skills, ensuring that you are aware of realistic job expectations and the required experience.

As you interact with experienced professionals in your preferred engineering industry, you will gain a better understanding of the field and which role better suits you and your skills. Communication and time management are also other important skills that you will develop, and hands-on experience will help you to stand out in the job market.

Choosing an apprenticeship to begin your career path can open a wide range of possibilities and knowledge, particularly important if you don’t wish to undertake a university degree.

At European Springs Ireland we believe in investing in young people and developing their skills. We understand the importance of apprenticeships both short and long term, and how these positively impact both our company and apprentices.

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British Science week; an entire week where people from around the world get together to embrace, indulge, and celebrate in all aspects of science. From 10-19 March the world is brought closer together, by the wonder of science and everything it includes; from the biology of bees to the science of springs!

With events happening all over Britain, there are plenty of opportunities to stimulate the mind and participate in several exciting activities and events. There is still time to get to an event, as the festival is running all week, and you can even organise an event yourself via the BSA. Even if you aren’t planning to visit this year, at least you have plenty of time to prepare for next year. We have pin-pointed a few ways that you can get involved in the week of British science celebrations!

child working out math on blackbord

Penguin Watch!

The citizen science project at the BSW this year, is all things penguin! They have collaborated with ‘Zooniverse’ on a visual project, to be able to monitor penguins at over 100 sites! With the help of you and the rest of the public, the plan is to annotate thousands of images of penguins and their habitats from over the past 3 years. By doing this and taking part in the penguin watch, you can assist in understanding the species and improving conservation. Your analysis of the images can speed up the process from the extraction process. You can get started by visiting their website www.penguinwatch.org. The citizen science project differs every year, but no matter what you can be involved!

group of penguins

Run or Organise an Event

The British Science Week wouldn’t be able to happen if it wasn’t for people, like you, being pro-active and running activities.  It isn’t as difficult as you might think to take a little time and effort, and you could then be influencing and teaching aspiring scientists. There are a few points you should consider before delving into organisation. Consider what your main objective is, who you audience is and what your teaching subject is. Other important factors are your budget, location, and promotion.

Organising an event or activity for BSW can be a lot of fun, and doesn’t have to take up a huge chunk of your time. Even if you don’t have much experience, and think therefore you shouldn’t take part; well your wrong! We have many resources to help you well on your way, and can even provide presenters and teachers if you require. There are many more helpful tips on the official sites, online guide.  No matter the size of your plans; from a science quiz for your students to a hired hall and a seminar; the limits are endless.

children and teacher in science lesson

Sponsor BSW

The BSW provides an amazing stand for stimulation and support, reaching over a million participants every year. They offer a range of corporate partnerships, such as an associate sponsorship, or a sponsor of a specific activity or component of the week. This could be including the competitions, behind the scenes or digital badges. Being a sponsor and helping the British Science Week comes with many benefits, ranging from great branding opportunities to employee engagement.

The week-long celebrations don’t just commemorate and rejoice the world of science, but all aspects of technology, maths, and engineering. By engaging everybody and getting people involved in these fascinating worlds, BSW can educate and entertain the world, one step at a time. We have only gone into minute detail of what the British Science Week has in store for you. You can find out much more on their website.

As specialist spring manufacturers, we understand the need to spread the joys of engineering and science. The future of science lies in the hands of the next generation, and as we bring a true spring into the wonders of engineering, we can educate the world on the industries.

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This year marks the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week and it started on Monday 6th March and will finish on Friday 10th. The National Apprenticeship Service coordinate the week, and it is designed to celebrate how apprenticeships can make a huge and positive impact on individual people, companies, and the economy as a whole.

But why are apprenticeships important to our country? Well, as expert manufacturers that are at the forefront of the industry, we know a lot about this.

The Week Is Great for Confidence

National Apprenticeship Week helps to make a positive impact for people that are present in various industries around the UK. Because of this, the week includes lots of activities, events, drop-in sessions, and much more.

engineer and apprentices
Engineer Teaching Apprentices To Use Tube Bending Machine

These events can help to engage in apprenticeships that are currently working in the UK, as well as people that are interested in going into an apprenticeship, which can increase their confidence for the better.

Apprenticeships are Important to the Economy

In late 2014, it was reported by the Centre for Economics and Business Research that apprenticeships could contribute £34 billion to the UK economy, which is a staggering amount, considering that the total UK GDP in 2014 was equivalent to approximately £454 billion.

Therefore, apprentices in the UK contributed 7.5% of the UK’s GDP, and if the UK economy increases as it has done year on year, then the number of apprentices will increase, meaning that will become even more important than ever before.

It’s Great for Learning New Skills

If there’s one reason to joining an apprenticeship in today’s climate, it is to learn excellent transferable skills that you can take with you throughout your life. At the age of 16, you have two main choices when it comes to furthering your education; you can continue through to A-Levels, or you can join an apprenticeship.

student using a computer

By being a part of an apprenticeship, it can provide you with the skills that you will not have learnt if you studied it in a classroom. Apprenticeships are very hands on and it can be an excellent stepping stone in achieving the career that you’ve dreamed of being in for years.

It could be anything from manufacturing and technological development to cooking and construction, but either way, being an apprenticeship within these industries can be the perfect way to develop the necessary skills and go into the career you’ve always dreamed of.

Because of these aspects of apprenticeships, it is safe to say that National Apprenticeship Week is important in terms of awareness as it is for providing people with the information that they need to join the career path they’ve always wanted.

As specialist spring manufacturers, we understand how important apprentices are to the manufacturing industry, and it is vital to ensure that they are an integral part of our economy. The future of the economy is governed by the products that we produce, and if we continually bring in new apprentices that are eager to learn, we will flourish in the industry around the world.

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With the introduction of the apprenticeship levy on April 6th 2017, employers in the UK will be required to invest more in apprenticeships. This system means that employers can incentivise their employees to achieve an apprenticeship at a Master’s level offered at Cranfield University.

Also known as a Mastership, employees are able to gain high-level engineering skills as it’s an apprenticeship at level 7. Whether your employees have an academic trajectory or experience in the industry, these Masterships are all-inclusive.

What is a Mastership?

Focused on your employees’ field, Masterships work towards building a framework of core skills and other needed knowledge in order to perform a career at a high level in an organisation. Through gathering a specialised portfolio, your employees demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the field.

As an employer, you select your employees for a Mastership and provide funding, which thanks to the apprenticeship levy will be more favourable. Your employees will still follow the same admissions process utilised for any postgraduate students, with the same requirements for experience and qualifications.

Engineering Sectors

Designed and utilised since the beginning of last year by members of the Defence Growth Partnership, the defence industry was the first to develop and run the Mastership. It is, however, available for a wide range of engineering industries such as energy and power, aerospace, environment and agrifood, and management amongst others.

The duration of the Mastership is five years, with three years being dedicated to academic study undertaken on a part-time basis. This investment in your employees ensures they will develop vital experience and skills that will benefit your business.

Importance of Skilled Employees

By investing in your employees, you ensure that they invest back into your business and improve the overall level of efficiency. Your employees remain engaged with their work and motivated to perform at their best, which promotes their creativity and increases productivity.

Employee retention can be an issue for businesses, and providing development opportunities for your employees builds their loyalty to your business. Your reputation for being a good employer also increases, which impacts how clients and prospective employees see you.

Investing in employee development forces you to look to the future of your business, which only leads to productivity and improvement. You also retain a highly-skilled workforce with up-to-date training and innovative skills, which they will input back into your business.

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Springs are vitally important in a variety of different industries, even though you may not initially know it. No matter how big or small, pretty much every industry will rely on some form of spring in order to be successful in what they want to do.

As there are so many industries to cover, we’ve decided that it would be interesting to take a closer look at some of them, and find out where our springs can fit in! First up is the healthcare industry – one of the lesser-known industries where our springs are integral.

Overview of the Industry

Health is something that we all have in common and, chances are, we’ve all come into contact with something like a compression spring while at the doctor’s office or the hospital without really thinking about it. The medical industry spans a wide range of subjects; from pharmaceutical to the inner workings of surgical tools and each sector within the industry can benefit from the use of springs.

Nurse uniform iStock_000066755007_Small

The healthcare industry is made up of sectors which cover the following areas:

  • Preventative medicine
  • Curative medicine
  • Palliative care
  • Medical products.

Interdisciplinary teams work together to ensure the health needs of the population are met and those who become sick are tended to in the most appropriate manner.

Springs in the Industry

Due to the nature of the industry, it’s essential that only the highest quality materials and products are used to ensure that the safety and health of those who the item will be coming into contact with.

MRI Scan iStock_000081113497_Small

Items such as MRI and X-ray machines are made up of a variety of moving parts, many of which would not be able to function smoothly or effectively without springs. Even small items such as medical staplers require the use of springs, much like a standard stapler does.

Even lifesaving treatments can rely on the use of springs. One that immediately comes to mind is artificial pacemakers, which rely on springs to keep the electrical circuits which are attached to the heart in place. Should these circuits dislodge, the pacemaker would not be able to function correctly, putting the life of the patient at risk.

Some types of forceps also require the use of springs in order to provide a good grip; biopsy forceps are one of the main examples of this, as they need to be able to grip tissue effectively, but not lock in place like other types of forceps. Due to the delicate nature of the biopsy procedure, it is essential that the surgeon has control over the grip, not the forceps.

Little girl inhaler iStock_000064222463_Small

Even some medicine administration systems utilise springs; a simple metered-dose inhaler uses a spring to allow the dose to be administered when the canister is pushed down.

These are just some of the examples of where springs make the jobs of those in the healthcare industry much easier, but there are plenty more, including in the beds that patients stay on while in hospital, to other drug delivery systems.

If you’re in the medical sector and would like to find out more about how our springs can help you in your day-to-day workings, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at European Springs Ireland – we’ll be more than happy to help you find the right spring, pressing or wire form for your needs.

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It doesn’t feel like it at all, but two days ago was the day of love – Valentine’s Day. It’s a big day around the world, as it is a day where people around the world celebrate their love to one another or express their love for other things, such as their pet, and their friends.

However, in engineering, things are a little different. At European Springs, as well as expressing our love to our loved ones at home, we also express our love in the workplace. This may seem a bit unusual, but let’s have a look into it.

The Love When Manufacturing Various Products

If there’s one thing that we care about more than anything, it’s how we manufacture our award-winning springs and pressings. Every item that we manufacture is handled with care and precision, just like the processes that occur within European Springs.

In the design stage, each aspect is intricately monitored and rigorously tested to make sure that it is fully functional and can withstand its maximum load. When the springs/pressings are produced, they are done so with the best equipment that is available within the industry.

For example, in April last year, our European Springs site in London acquired a revolutionary machine known as the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B, and the results were sensational. The machine itself can produce more than 1000 stampings per minute, which is equivalent to roughly 17 stampings a second! After three months, it was revealed that the Bruderer investment resulted in the growth of European Springs by 10% and created 35 new jobs.

Across London, Cornwall, and Leeds, sales increased by £16m and the workforce increased by 170, which is amazing as a result of one investment deal. Therefore, it is safe to say that the springs that we manufacture daily are of the highest quality, which is excellent for the business, but more so for our clients, as they will be receiving the highest-quality products every single time.

European Springs Pressings Bruderer

The Results of our Love in Manufacturing

The love and consideration that we put into our products, as well as our services, has gone a long way when it comes to our clients. A fantastic example of this was when we worked with Fabric Architecture to help design, manufacture, and install canopies that were located over the retractable seating voids in West Ham’s stadium, the London Stadium.

This project was particularly special to us because we went out of our way to make every aspect of this project personal and extra special. European Springs’ part was to engineer compression springs that would be used within the canopy mechanisms. However, every spring that we created was then coated with the West Ham colours – a beautiful shade of claret.

Michael Gibbs, Managing Director of European Springs & Pressings, even said “…our Production Manager’s love of West Ham, and subsequent suggestion that the springs were powder coated in the club’s famous claret colour, has added a personal touch that has truly made the teams feel part of sporting history”.

From that, it is safe to say that we care so much for our customers, and we put our all into making them happy, as well as the European Springs team. As specialist spring manufacturers, we always ensure that every product that we produce is of the highest quality, and is handled with the utmost care and consideration.

If you want to know more about what we can provide for you, then please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 028 9083 8605 and we will be more than happy to help with any enquiries you may have.

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