Supporting the Next Generation of Engineers
Fletcher Moorland and Stoke-on-Trent College| Supporting the Next Generation of Engineers
Fletcher Moorland were recently approached by Stoke-on-Trent College to support 16 of their HNC General Engineering Apprentices with “Day in Industry” workshops. As an Engineering Company that prides itself on investing in its team, we welcomed the opportunity to support Stoke-on-Trent College with the development of their HNC General Engineering Apprentices.
With an insight on their learning objectives we tailored a split half day workshop to provide real-world insight into electric motor maintenance, servo motor maintenance, and the application of reliability services in these fields.
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Fletcher Moorland Supports Colleges HNC General Engineering Apprentices
Apprenticeships are about more than classroom learning; they’re about experiencing engineering in action. For these HNC General Engineering Apprentices, a day at Fletcher Moorland offered a perfect opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Why Industry Exposure Matters|
Situated in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, Fletcher Moorland is renowned for its cutting-edge expertise in Electro-Mechanical and Electrical repairs and its commitment to pioneering Reliability Services. With continual investment in innovation and state of the art technology, our workshops are an ideal environment to expose Apprentice Engineers to the forefront of the industrial maintenance and repair industry.
After a warm welcome from Matt Fletcher, Fletcher Moorlands MD the Apprentices were split into two learning groups for a tour of Fletcher Moorlands workshops. Managing Director Matt Fletcher, took the helm for one group and the other was led by Technical Manager Joe Oakden.
Exploring Electric Motors with Matt Fletcher|
In 1822 Michael Faraday modelled his first electric motor, the laws of physics haven’t changed, but the motors have.
Matts group went into how AC & DC industrial electric motors spin away and the exploring the differences between them. Being in an industrial environment, education comes to life. Instead of pictures in book the apprentices got to handle electric motors. They got to see the construction and understand the workings and to identify what they’ll see in their careers.
They discussed basic electrical tests that are carried out during front-line maintenance of these electric motors. Those who volunteered, got their hands on instrumentation to perform the testing, putting into practice what they’d discussed. Matt really enjoyed the level of engagement shown by the apprentices and hoped their visit with us will be something they remember for a long time.
Introduction to  Servo Motors led by Joe Oakden|
Joe always enjoys giving back to the engineering community and the visit from Stoke on Trent College was no exception. He was pleased to the apprentices were all enthusiastic about engineering and keen to learn, making his job much easier and enjoyable.
In his session they discussed both DC permanent magnet motors and AC permanent magnet motors along with their control systems and various feedback devices. That's a lot of information to cover in a limited amount of time but thankfully the Fletcher Moorland electronics and servo motor department provided test rigs and stripped-down motors to aid with the learning. This gave students the first-hand opportunity to handle the constituent parts of the motors instead of relying on pictures in textbooks.
The final session of the day saw Joes group move over to our high-power test area. There they set up a simple induction motor on an inverter and observed the PWM (pulse with modulation) output switching with an oscilloscope. It is practical demonstrations like this that really help the theoretical side sink in and leave a lasting impression on the engineers.
Providing Apprentices real world Experiences|
There are distinct challenges for a business hosting large learning groups. However, with a true engineers mindset of, “where there’s a will, there’s a way” Fletcher Moorland ensured a safe and engaging learning experience was provided.
For Fletcher Moorland collaborating with Stoke-on-Trent College by providing apprentices with hands-on experiences, not only helps build technical skills but also fosters the passion for a career in engineering.