Train don’t blame

Every government’s role in helping rebuild engineering growth will always come under close scrutiny – the topic being a godsend for the more vociferous among us that enjoy a lively debate.

The problem is exacerbated by dissenting voices within industry that bemoan the lack of government support in promoting composite manufacturing related training. But introduce the prospect of tackling challenging techniques like composites prepregging, laminating, resin transfer moulding and automated tape layup, and you’d expect to see a few vexed creases forming on government foreheads.

Maybe part of the blame culture is down to the fact that many employers struggle to persuade enough academic institutions to offer modules in working with composite materials? Are smaller companies finding that working with local colleges and/or building their own training workshops is unrealistic because they lack the critical mass of apprentices required to justify either?

It’s sometimes too easy to blame the Government - particularly when addressing the more nebulous issues that form schisms within our industry. Perhaps we’re sometimes guilty of breeding a nation of moaners, when it would make more sense if we did a better job of telling our engineering success stories to the world - assuming anyone is listening of course.

One thing is clear, everyone connected with UK composites manufacturing will need to pull together and increase investment in more training, if they are to be confident that next generation aircraft and automotive programmes continue to carry larger amounts of carbon fibre materials content.

Mike Richardson, editor