Member Article

CoolKit's Home Grown Talent

An engineering degree student has been employed at CoolKit full time after proving his worth.

Chris Bromley, 30, from Burnley, has just graduated from UCLan with a 2:1 in mechanical engineering. During his course, he worked at CoolKit part time on a project designed to improve shop floor efficiencies.

Chris said he is delighted to join the team on a permanent basis as Junior Design Engineer

He said: “The work with CoolKit alongside my degree helped me gain valuable experience. The project was to improve fitting times and identify unnecessary or elongated processes and trim the fat. I spent some time on the shop floor walking in their shoes and seeing the challenges they faced.”

In his new role Chris has been tasked with securing new approvals for different vehicles to prove that they meet the required standards. This includes collating all the technical data and documentation which state the modifications made to any vehicles ready for scrutiny by the Vehicle Certification Agency, an executive agency of the United Kingdom Department for Transport, and the UK’s Type Approval authority.

Chris’ Mechanical Engineering degree followed on from achieving his Higher National Diploma (HND) at Burnley College in the same subject.

CoolKit is a strong believer in offering opportunities to young people and employing local talent. The company has well-established links with Burnley College, and is keen to keep bringing the engineering talent of tomorrow onto their shop floor.

These links were instigated by Head of Operations Steve Wilkinson, who believes strongly in bridging the gap between A-Level, Advanced Vocational and University studies and manufacturers themselves.

Steve said: “When we met with Neil Burrows, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering at Burnley College, there was an immediate connection of principles in allowing industry and education to work closer – and not just talking about it but getting on and doing it; and as such we made quick strides towards identifying strong candidates such as Chris.”

Neil Burrows says “Congratulations to Chris on his degree and starting his career at CoolKit. At Burnley College, we’re proud to be working so closely with such an innovative and successful local firm, which is leading the way nationally in its area of expertise. When it comes to training the top engineers of the future, we mean business.”

Chris said experience is key in the real world. “You can have all the degrees in the world but it won’t compare to actually doing the work. I know I’ve got the potential to be a really good engineer, but I knew I’d struggle to get into a job straight from College without experience.”

Chris’ first job at CoolKit involved the digitalisation of key vehicle components in order to aid the use of digital technologies used within the business.

As CoolKit’s new box body vehicle became increasingly popular, the need for a standardised range for customers to choose from became apparent – another task Chris took the lead with.

During the year-long project Chris also provided CoolKit with further evidence that the innovative materials they use surpass expectations and requirements.

He said: “CoolKit use a selection of specially chosen high tech composite materials in their conversions to replace the heavier traditional materials such as wood and metal. They have invested a lot of time and resources into testing and trialling the different configurations to create strong yet lightweight panels to ensure each van offers customers the best payload possible and a high-quality construction.”

Chris added: “I’m lucky enough to have the support, experience and guidance from my colleagues to help me continue progressing.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lisa Woodhouse .