The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Accredited Company Training Scheme (ACTS) programme have re-accredited our Engineering Graduate Scheme for a further four years.

The IChemE assessors were particularly impressed by the following efforts at Briggs;

• Positive enthusiasm and attitude of scheme trainees and mentors
• Scheme documentation and associated quality control
• Company support for the scheme and its accreditation
• Overall commitment to the development of the profession

The Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme encourages our engineers to develop their practical engineering skills by delivering global multi-disciplinary projects. We encourage our engineers “to get chartered” by following a structured training programme. This accreditation increases engagement with the IChemE through obtaining membership, Chartered Chemical Engineer status (MIChemE) and benefitting from mentoring sessions.

We spoke to Mark Phillips, Technical Process Manager and Fellow of the IChemE; 

 

It’s fantastic to receive the re-accreditation award from the IChemE and is a major milestone in helping us build our Engineering Graduate Scheme. As a mentor and manager for the scheme, it is inspiring to see so many well-rounded engineers who have the passion and intent to succeed. 

Briggs’ ethos has always been to encourage young talent to further their professional development and providing them with opportunities to deliver global projects. It’s exciting to see both the training scheme and partnership with the IChemE continue to develop.

 

About Briggs of Burton

If you have eaten or drunk it there is a chance that Briggs of Burton has helped to produce it.

Briggs are the engineers behind supplying the equipment, engineering and automation to the largest food, alcoholic beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Today Briggs employs over 300 colleagues across six sites in the UK, Scotland, USA, Mexico, China, and Australia. The team deliver turnkey engineering projects for leading household brands covering North America, Europe, Central America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Briggs’ benefits from a global network of stainless-steel manufacturing facilities, including their own in Burton on Trent and Prestonpans, Scotland.

Briggs is actively developing sustainable engineering solutions, focusing on their customer’s requirements towards carbon neutrality.

Briggs of Burton have created a dedicated training centre at their headquarters to support the next generation of innovative engineers.

The Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme, which has now been recognised by all three of the industry’s leading professional bodies, aims to make a career in engineering accessible to all as it looks to recruit more young people into the industry.

This month the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) joined the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in accrediting the Briggs scheme which provides graduates with the opportunity to gain Chartered status while working on leading engineering projects around the globe.

The training centre is a unique opportunity for graduates and apprentices to be involved in global turnkey projects, which create bespoke engineering solutions from initial concept and design to build and final completion. The team are involved in some of the world’s largest engineering projects from  brewing and distilling through to pharmaceuticals, food, and biotech, creating a varied experience.

Rob Davis, Project Engineering Manager at Briggs and lead on the IMechE Accreditation scheme, said it was a unique opportunity to help nurture and grow the next generation of leading engineers.

He said; “Having the opportunity to mentor, lead and succeed in getting the accreditation from the IMechE has been extremely rewarding and a positive way to start the year.

“Briggs’ core focus is to give our young engineers a well-rounded experience putting theory into practice. Training and development are at the heart of the scheme, and we hope to help more graduates in the future preparing them to deliver multi-discipline projects around the world.”

The new accreditations mean that the scheme is now supported by all three of the leading engineering bodies in helping graduates to achieve their formal Chartered status and provide the necessary training to support young engineers into the industry.

Molly Adey, Project Engineer, at Briggs of Burton is one of the graduates to have benefited from the scheme said it was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in turnkey engineering projects at such a young age in her career. Turnkey engineering refers to the creation of complete bespoke solutions for projects right from initial concept and design to build and final completion.

She said: “The Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme has been invaluable to my early career development. I have always viewed Chartership as the next step in my ongoing education, and during the past year I have been working my way towards this goal. I have found the support and continued guidance from my mentors and colleagues at Briggs beyond helpful. I’ve been able to work within different industries both in the office and on site and be involved in the various phases of projects from initial design to completion.

“Currently I am working on a large pharmaceutical project in the UK and have been responsible for leading project engineering activities on site. I have been given a large amount of responsibility working on fast paced projects which has not only challenged me but prepared me to develop skills across a variety of areas.”

John Hancock, who was the company’s first process engineer in 1989 before going on to become Technical Director, said it was a momentous day for the company who continues to work towards supporting future growth in the industry.

Now a Technical Consultant, John, lay the foundation to the initiative which is designed to make a career in engineering accessible to all.

He said:” Nationally there is a shortage of engineers coming into the Food and Beverages industry as most are drawn to petrochemical and other sectors. Through our graduate training scheme, we seek to empower the next generation of engineers to support the largest UK Manufacturing sector to thrive. It’s an exciting time to join the industry and here at Briggs we want to do our bit to help the younger generation get excited about engineering a sustainable future.

“I am proud to be at the forefront of Briggs’ Accredited Training Centre in Burton on Trent, at the heart of the UK’s Brewing industry.”

The dedicated training centre aims to offer ongoing graduate and apprenticeship opportunities to help develop the next generation of workers across all sectors of the business and is currently recruiting in engineering, sales, automation and manufacturing.

Briggs of Burton, has six sites across the world including its headquarters in Derby Street, Burton on Trent, has already supported 20 UK graduates in the last year and is looking to take on more young people as it plans to double its turnover in the next 3 years.

Last year, Briggs unveiled a new multi-million-pound investment in the UK after transforming their Midlands headquarters into a brand new Global Technical Centre. The move followed continued successes in the Brewing and Distilling industries but also advances into growing Food and Pharmaceutical sectors.

More information on apprenticeship and graduate opportunities is available at https://www.briggsplc.com/graduate-recruitment.