The Future Looks Bright
SMI were delighted to host Anneka Gordon from the Plume Academy in Essex for a week’s work experience in July.
Anneka, who is a gifted student with a passion for science, mathematics and technology, is considering a career in engineering. She spent two days at the headquarters in Andover assisting the marketing team with preparations for the Farnborough Airshow exhibition. Touring the factory there was an opportunity to understand the technologies which have been delivering fit and forget cable harnesses to submarine and surface fleets across the globe. Anneka then accompanied our General Manager Sales & Marketing, Jenny Shaw, visiting clients for technical discussions.
We were particularly grateful to Karen Adams of JFD for hosting us for a morning at the company’s headquarters in Inchinnan. Operating worldwide, JFD is the world’s leading provider of submarine rescue capability and an established provider of submarine escape training. The company is at the forefront of Hyperbaric Rescue, along with being the leading supplier of commercial and defence diving equipment and saturation diving systems.
Karen, JFD’s Engineering Improvement Authority, and Jill Hughes, a time- served apprentice, took time out to describe the exciting opportunities for young women wanting to pursue STEM subject study into a defence based career. They also provided a tour of the facility and Jill explained some of the manufacturing, assembly and test operations. This was an opportunity to provide a physical context for where the cable harnesses and hull penetrators produced at SMI are installed in practice.
The enthusiasm of Karen and Jill and generosity in sharing their experiences provided a glimpse of the passion and determination that has seen both women achieve incredible success in their careers to date.