Airedale International Air Conditioning is making an investment in a £500,000 training centre designed to equip a new generation of engineers with the skills to install and service increasingly high tech air conditioning and control systems.
The Leeds-based manufacturer's new training centre will, it says, help up-skill engineers already working in the industry but will also play a key role in the next generation of skilled mechanical and electrical engineers.
HR director of the £40 million turnover company, Steve Joyce, said: 'Manufacturing is sitting on a demographic time bomb and it is crucial that we not only continue to renew the pool of engineering skills to secure our future. A substantial proportion of our 370 strong skilled workforce is aged 55 or over and it is vital we have a strategy in place for replacing those skills.'
Managing director Clive Parkman added: 'We have introduced significant change through investment and continuous improvement in the past year. This will continue as the surest route to improved performance and best results.
'The new training centre enables our staff to take on board new processes and systems we will continue to invest in. It will also allow us to sell more external courses to a wider market, making it possible for those new to the industry to acquire quality training in new technology and a solid grounding in regulation compliance.'