Independent vehicle experts, Laird Assessors, headquartered in the Whitfield Business Hub on Pensby Road, have launched an Engineers' Academy to train, develop and support people looking for a career in motor engineering.

Laird has developed the Academy with the aim of taking a person from rookie apprentice to a fully qualified motor engineer.

Recognising that some of Laird's best staff have been mentored and developed in-house, often starting in trainee positions and developing over the years into qualified roles, the company's management team decided to create a framework linking the various stages of development.

In-house training combines with some specialist automotive courses to complete the programme.

Acknowledging the benefits of having a coherent and unified pathway to full industry certified qualifications, Laird's managers developed the system during lockdown.

Having invested over £100k over the last two years they have also secured some funding for trainees and expect to devote a similar sum over the next year.

Managing Director Nik Ellis said, "The industry has struggled to develop engineers and assessors, so we thought it was about time we did something positive about it. There's lots of individual courses but nothing holistic to incorporate the varied directions of our industry."

Head of Automotive, Lee Baty added, "This is a natural step forward for us, joining the various programmes together into a coherent development plan, ensuring our teams are the best versions they can be."

The academy is launching this month - to find out more and download a brochure, click or tap here.