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Engineering Education

27 Mar 2014

A great deal has been spoken and written in recent times about the current state and the future of the engineering industry in the UK. Not only does Sir James Dyson claim he could employ another 2000 engineers if they were out there, but figures for graduate engineers entering the business, pale into insignificance when you compare them with those in other parts of Europe. Simon Jones, Managing Director of PRV Engineering in Pontypool, South Wales, is concerned about the future of the industry.

“It’s failing miserably,” said Simon. “There’s a lack of investment and a real lack of skill. It just doesn’t exist in this country anymore and engineering doesn’t exist in any child’s vocabulary anymore.

13 Mar 2014

A lack of senior engineers and in particular, a serious shortage of female engineers, has been a common theme in recent years.

The figures make for disappointing reading when it comes to female engineers. The United Kingdom is falling behind many of its European neighbours when it comes to attracting women into the industry.

However, Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation chairman, Lord Browne of Madingley, has called on parents to take a fresh look at engineering and encourage their sons and daughters into the profession.

20 Feb 2014

British industry still suffers from a lack of engineers. Such is the concern  that business secretary Vince Cable believes the shortage provides a serious threat to recovery. In particular, Cable highlighted the lack of women currently working or actively seeking employment in the British engineering industry.

Only 8% of British engineers are women, which is the lowest proportion in Europe. Compare that with Germany (15%), Sweden (25%) and top-performing Latvia (30%) and it’s easy to see why there is such deep-seated concern.

Research suggests the problem starts long before young people choose a career with many youngsters ditching maths and science as soon as they can. It’s a trend especially marked for girls.

A recent article in the Sheffield Star highlighted the concern. The newspaper reported that only 14 per cent of students at the new University Technical College, are girls. At the newly opened training centre at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, just four of the 160 engineering apprentices are female.

8 Jan 2014

The production line that once produced a bountiful supply of engineers is starting to creak. ‘Britain is short of engineers’ was a recent headline that hit the proverbial nail on its head. Industry experts reckon the statement rings true in almost every sphere of engineering.

But why? The key barrier preventing young people from considering engineering careers is the misconception that STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are uninteresting and cannot lead to lucrative or interesting jobs.

A recent article in The Engineer, takes this a step further, suggesting that a more valid argument is that engineering is not being taught in our colleges and universities by experienced engineers. Semta, the engineering skills body, believes it’s imperative that engineers with up-to-date experience of the industry, work in education.

13 Dec 2013

Parents have not always viewed the idea of their child taking up an apprenticeship, as a viable career choice. However, with Britain trapped in a double dip recession and parents becoming increasingly concerned about the future of their offspring, there has been a shift in emphasis.

According to new research, almost a third of parents who were previously against apprenticeships, have now changed their views. The research, commissioned by BAE Systems and the Royal Academy of Engineering and carried out by YouGov, involved a study of over 2,000 parents of children aged 11-18.

22 Nov 2013

Mechanical Engineering is vital to everyday life and has been around for centuries. It shapes the world in which we are living and the future on which we rely. From basic objects like wheels to the ever useful screws and inclined planes, from cars to aeroplanes, from paperclips to the rail industry, from bridges to skyscrapers, they all work under the foundations and principles laid out by the laws of mechanics.

We have seen how machines have made our lives easier and the wonders of mechanical engineering. But what is the future of engineering?

13 Aug 2013

Electric Vehicles (EVs) first came into existence in the mid-19th century when electricity was among the preferred methods for motor vehicle propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time.

The internal combustion engine remains as the dominant propulsion method for motor vehicles, but electric power is certainly commonplace in other vehicle types, such as trains and smaller vehicles of all types.

UK scientists claim that by simplifying the power electronics  they have developed a way to help Electric Vehicles travel further on a single battery charge. Lead by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) researchers have created a new material that they say can act as a more effective capacitor than those currently used in EVs, which require complex cooling systems.

6 Aug 2013

Single storey buildings are by far the largest sector of the UK structural steelwork market, representing nearly two thirds of total activity.

These buildings are typically used for workshops, factories, industrial warehouses, distribution warehouses and retail warehouses. Referred to colloquially as ‘Sheds’ sizes vary from small workshops of just a few thousand square feet up to distribution warehouses covering over one million square feet.

Similar construction techniques are used in all of these buildings with Industrial type buildings usually having relatively simple elevations with metal cladding panels, either full height or down to a brickwork dado rail. Retail developments and other statement projects tend to have much more complex elevational treatments, incorporating various materials and features and using combinations of cladding panels with different orientations, profiles and colours.

22 Jul 2013

Silver plating is a practice that is done for a variety of reasons, on both individual and commercial levels. Companies will sometimes add silver to other metals simply to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the item. It is also often used as a way of increasing the conductivity of another metal, particularly in electronic devices.


New Plating Facility for Silver and Tin Plating

Here at PRV Engineering, we pride ourselves in the fact that all of the high precision capabilities we offer our clients take place and are controlled in-house. The new plating facility that we have invested in is another demonstration of our determination to maintain this policy, and in the process, to ensure the high quality of the finished products that we supply our clientele.

21 Jun 2013

On the 19th and 20th June 2013 PRV Engineering Ltd had the pleasure of entertaining 50 Children from Ysgol IFOR Bach Primary School in Abertridwr, Caerphilly. The Children, all aged between 7 & 9 years old visited PRV’s impressive facility to interview the CEO and Staff about engineering and the products and services they provide.

During the visit they had a tour of the facility, experiencing how work starts, how computers play a vital part of everyday life in the company and the many stages of manufacture that PRV can do in-house.

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