Inspiring The Next Generation

Here at Perry we understand that the next generation of scientists and engineers are very important, so every year we invite school children to our site to conduct experiments. Rather than children aspiring to become the next One Direction or Mila Kunis, we need young aspiring Marie Curie and Bill Gates wannabes.

June 2013, our fourth school visit took place. Supporting the CIEC programme headed by Joanne Rout, in association with University of York, Timothy Hackworth School in Shildon were guests of our Newton Aycliffe site for the day. The Year 6 children met our Sales Managers and Engineers and they were shown the structure of our business. They took part in process experiments using our equipment and were advised what each piece of equipment does in manufacturing and production sites across the globe.

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The children have been studying science in the classroom but their visit to Perry Process has enabled them to see how the experiments they perform translate into real-world situations. For example, the children were shown how a Centrifuge separates suspended material from the mediums they are mixed with. We explained to the children that this separation process is done by spinning closed containers of the mixture very quickly around a fixed, central point, then as the centrifugal force generated by this motion forces the denser material in the suspension against the walls of the container, it effectively separates it from the solution. These devices are used to separate solids from fluid suspension mediums, so we poured a container of dirty water into our Centrifuge to show the children that the machine can separate the water and dirt.

By making their day fun and informative we hope we have inspired the youth of today to consider a future career in science and engineering. We have even sourced equipment recently for Durham University and Hartlepool College, which they use for educating and training the next generation.

Perry Process Equipment Ltd considers training to be an important factor for our staff to progress. Two members of our staff are Apprentices and we have also employed two international undergraduates, from Germany and Turkey, as interns over the summer period. This gave them valuable experience within our industry. By virtue of this, we won the "Employer of the Year 2012" award from S&D training. Perry understands that the success of its business depends on having a good training program for its employees. Everyone is encouraged to partake. Even our MD is studying French to enable better business connections with our French customers and partners. In 2012, our Junior Buyer, Greg Lyons successfully passed the BTEC National Certificate in Operations and Maintenance Engineering. Currently, Nigel Thornton is attending Darlington College to gain his BTEC Certificate. All engineering and warehousing staff have completed recognised national qualifications, so that our standard of service to our customers is maintained at a high standard.

We can be hopeful that the youth of tomorrow aspire to become scientists and engineers.