2021 Directory

58 www.bfpa.co.uk on the Board of the BFPA. After all, you can’t install a boiler in a house unless you’re compliant with the Gas Safe Register, so I would like to see something along those lines introduced withing hydraulics and pneumatics sector.” Training and recruitment Since becoming increasingly aware of, and involved in, the activities of the BFPA, Galley has come to recognise the value of the Association’s training courses. “The BFPA has worked hard to promote best practice and support high standards across the industry and has established a robust syllabus of training that really reflects this commitment,” she remarks. “Hydroscand UK is actively involved in the hose & fittings syllabus to ensure we are highly knowledgeable and fully compliant. This helps us provide the best possible service and support to our own customers. Indeed, training is one of the key areas I am keen to help to develop as a BFPA board member. From a strategic direction perspective, I would like to encourage even more focus on providing the right type of training and encouragement for our industry’s future workforce.” Reading some workforce-related statistics recently, Galley was interested to read that the proportion of the British workforce that is 50 years old or more has increased over the past few years. Indeed, she has observed that, based on the demographic of the BFPA board and many member companies, there aren’t as many young people coming into the trade as she believes there should be. “We need more young professionals keen to further their careers and in so doing ensure there is the right talent and skillsets in place to sustain the future of our industry,” she says. “As a means to achieve this, Galley believes our industry should work more with Government to encourage the establishment and support of more apprenticeship schemes, both in terms of making the fluid power industry and related sectors more attractive to young people as a career choice and also in order to ensure there is the right level of funding available in the form of Government grants. In general, however, Galley is keen that the BFPA continues to encourage the flow of people coming into our industry – whether it’s hydraulics, pneumatics or electro-mechanical related. “This is particularly important in light of Brexit changes to immigration policies,” she says. “If the UK finds itself largely relying on internal resources in terms of staffing, then it’s even more important that we ensure we have the right volume of ‘homegrown’ skilled workers in order to continue to design things, make things, fix things and innovate in order for the UK to continue to be a dominant force in the world of manufacturing and engineering on the global stage. I believe a key part of an Association’s raison d’être is to promote the industry to younger people who can bring in more experience and understanding of technological developments; whether that’s taking a different approach, attending careers fairs or partnering with education associations etc. I believe it’s also an important part of an Association to promote the industry to a more diverse range of people.” Similarly, Abbott is keen to pursue during committee meetings is how to attract more young people into our industry. “I feel the industry isn’t nearly as attractive as it could be to many people who are at the age where they are beginning to think seriously about what they want to pursue as a lifelong career,” he says. “Having been in the business for nearly 30 years, I know it has much to offer in terms of career advancement, security and general job satisfaction. You can become involved in all types of industry sectors and product types. Every day is a new experience and you’re constantly learning. I don’t believe there are nearly enough open days at universities and other training or education establishments that really set out to show the benefits of the fluid power industry from a career perspective, and to explain the relationship our industry has to other sectors and types of technology. There are so many opportunities. It’s not just sales, warehousing or accounts – which are of course important disciplines in themselves – there are also opportunities in areas such as design and R&D, areas that can help people to innovate and take our industry to the next level. If you sit down with a young person on an engineering course and showed him or her how to build a pneumatic panel, I’m sure they would find that exciting and stimulating. Then, if you told students that this panel is going to be supplied to a Formula One company, Airbus or a large food manufacturing company in Europe I’m sure their level of interest would go up even more.” Import/export Working for a European company, Abbott considers that he has a certain knowledge