Be my Guest…Margo Milne
As part of LEEA’s YouTube series called ‘Be my Guest…’ Jenny Eagle, reporter, catches up with Margo Milne, director, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) North East, to find out how to attract the next generation of future engineers into the lifting industry.
Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) North East is one of 20 groups across Scotland which plays a key part in delivering the Scottish Government's Young Person’s Guarantee, which is a commitment to every 16 to 24 year old so that when they leave school, they have a purpose, with somewhere to go, that can be higher or further education, volunteering, an apprenticeship or straight into the workplace.
The North East group covers Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire and it has a team that supports 28 secondary schools across the region, engaging employers alongside education through activities including mock interviews, sector insights or partnering with a business as a potential employer for a young person.
“By engaging employers with education it helps to prepare young people for the world of work, which is a fantastic inspirational thing to do. We support young people in the region and do whatever we can to engage them with employers to help them find their way as they consider their next steps, once they leave school,” said Milne.
DYW North East became involved with LEEA after being asked to attend LiftEx in Aberdeen last year, where they also had an exhibition stand. They also work closely with Robert (Rory) Rorison, Member Engagement Services, LEEA.
“We were delighted to be asked to come along and have a stand at LiftEx, which was held at P&J Live last year and we've got great a relationship with the regional representative, Rory at LEEA. Our Chair of the Board, James Bream, also gave a keynote speech. Thanks to the event, we were able to tap into the employers that were there and look at how we could help them to connect with their future workforce,” said Milne.
“We're all aware that across the majority of sectors there are skills gaps. And although there's lots of upskilling going on, there's still a lot that we can do to attract young people into the sector and therefore creating talent pipelines that I think most employers would be happy to get involved with.
“We've clearly got a very vibrant energy sector in the region covering everything from oil and gas to renewables. And the lifting sector fits perfectly into this. There's lots of young people that are looking to be engineers, but maybe they don't know which sector they want to go into and what that career looks like for them. It’s a great way for LEEA members to connect with DYW to give them access to those young people who are maybe thinking about engineering, but they're not quite sure.”
The future workforce of tomorrow is a subject close to LEEA’s heart as it launches its Think Lifting initiative, inviting members to partner with local schools and education establishments promoting its work https://leeaint.com/thinklifting
LEEA has also produced a downloadable education kit covering Pneumatics, Friction and Pulleys for 11-14 year olds.
Like other parts of engineering, the Lifting Industry needs to recruit new talent to ensure its future sustainability. There are endless career opportunities available to today’s young people but unfortunately lifting is too often overshadowed by higher profile careers, which is resulting in a short supply of essential skilled engineers and technicians.
To find out more, watch the LEEA Think Lifting video here https://youtu.be/jjtsNbohkrg
To watch the video with DYW North East click here https://youtu.be/e1ttj5NaqRs
For more information about DYW visit DYW North East website
DYW Scotland website (includes links to all regional groups)
