Spotlight shines on MRO skills challenges 

He has called for students, trainees and apprentices to receive more practical, hands-on training in education and the workplace.

Andrew, who is managing director of global solutions provider Barnbrook Systems, said that many educational courses focus on analytical and digital skills but that ‘old school’ skills should always be taught. He said that engineering is about the real world not just theory.

Andrew warned that this was especially true in aviation, defence and rail MRO for older platforms with service life extensions.

Andrew’s comments came in the second of Hampshire-based Barnbrook’s MRO-focused podcasts, with the newly-released edition titled ‘Future Skills and Workforce in MRO’.

Andrew said: “Our latest podcast probes the important issue of skills in MRO.

“While, quite rightly, many colleges and universities focus on modern digital and analytical skills of today, it is vital that new entrants to the engineering industry gain practical, hands-on skills too.

“Of course, businesses have an important role to play in this but there is a growing issue where we are seeing a reverse skills gap in relation to older platforms, whether they are aircraft, ships or trains.

“Geopolitics and economic pressures have fuelled changing needs, especially in defence, where life extension is being pushed five or 10 years out.

“The problem with supporting platforms that were probably designed and manufactured 30 or 40 years ago, is that the people who were involved are typically at the latter stages of their work in life, or may even be retired, and there is a shortage of younger engineers with the skills and knowledge to fill the gap. 

“Trying to retain some of those older people is part of the solution but you also need to line up a new set of people and start to cross-fertilise their experiences and skills and capabilities to a younger generation, and that is challenging in itself.”

Andrew, who is chairman of the South Central Regional Defence and Security Cluster (SCRDSC), is a long standing STEM champion who works with education to ensure training provided matches the skills needed by industry.

He says in the podcast: “Engineering is a vocational subject and a very creative subject.

“You do need a core foundation of engineering skills, and some of that core foundation, within educational establishments, is seen to be old school.

“Old school is very much what we need, because that is core to what an engineer actually is. 

“That is a part that business can and should play a part in but many understandably struggle with the amount of effort that actually has to put in, particularly in the engineering space where there are many SMEs.”

Barnbrook, with nearly 50 staff, has launched its own training programme with work placements, traineeships and apprenticeships/graduate apprenticeships. It is also working with training providers and fellow businesses to ensure well-rounded curriculums with digital and practical skills as well as exposure to different workplaces.

Barnbrook, a member of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM), reverse engineers and re-engineers existing components and systems through its MRO capability.  This includes brake controllers and directional controllers for older fleets of trains to combat obsolescence and extend service life. It has also recently signed 10-year deal with Japan’s navy to breathe new life into a fleet of warships.

Barnbrook’s products for older assets also include aerospace engine controls and speed switches for such fighter jets as the Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and Sea Harrier. It also supplies such systems as temperature monitors, flight flap actuators and rotary variable differential transformers (RVDT).

The company also improves systems and through its Intelligent Internet of Things (IIOT) BlueCube? technology it is able to introduce predictive maintenance and operational improvements through diagnostic analysis.

Andrew was interviewed by hosts Rod Duarte and Sam Trivino for the podcast.

Watch the podcast at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcyw6XaxZJ0&t=1061s and find out more about MRO here https://barnbrooksystems.com/mro/