I recently visited Blackrow Engineering and was hugely impressed by the diversity in the engineering projects that they undertake. Company Director Gary Pexman and Sales Engineer Lewis Crowther took me on a guided tour of their Grimsby facility. Their work includes the development of electrical services, factory installations, design work, pipework installation, automation systems, laser cutting and plenty more, much of which we saw in action first-hand.
Blackrow Group manage projects on an international level for a variety of sectors, so it’s fantastic to have a company like this on our doorstep. Throughout our tour, Gary and Lewis spoke of the importance of getting locally skilled people employed by the company and how difficult it can be to find those kinds of people. I’ve spoken previously about how people have said to me that there aren’t any jobs going in Grimsby, but companies like Blackrow prove that positive, fulfilling careers are available and that local people are needed for them.
Blackrow themselves offer a welcoming avenue to potential employees as they prioritise skills over the need for qualifications, which was positive to see. It was also great to speak to a female employee about their role and experiences working for Blackrow and the company’s desire to employ more women. Engineering is an undeniably male-dominated industry and it’s fantastic to see companies like Blackrow encourage a more level playing field in their line of work.
I also spoke to Gary and Lewis about how we may get younger people interested in a career in engineering and overall, it was a positive visit to discover more about Blackrow's current work and their ambitions for the future.
