Investing in the Next Generation: How Parsch UK is Nurturing Local Engineering Talent
We believe that our success and longevity come from consistently investing in the things that matter – from our new hydrostatic pressure tester to our quality materials – but most importantly, our people.
Investing in the Next Generation: How Parsch UK is Nurturing Local Engineering Talent
At Parsch UK, we've been supplying professional fluid transfer solutions for over 145 years. We believe that our success and longevity come from consistently investing in the things that matter – from our new hydrostatic pressure tester to our quality materials – but most importantly, our people.
We recently welcomed two engineering students to our team on a full-time basis, following a year-long work placement with us as part of our partnership with Preston College. The recent additions to our team have led us to reflect on how investing in the futures of young engineers benefits not just the individuals but the wider industry as a whole.
Our Relationship with Preston College
Parsch UK has been working with Preston College to offer structured work placements to engineering students, giving young people the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a professional manufacturing and technical environment.
For students still in education, that kind of experience helps them to translate theoretical classroom learning into a real, practical skill that helps to solidify their learning. It also gives them a head start when leaving college, as they can begin their career with genuine workplace experience and an excellent reference.
For us, placements give us the chance to work with motivated young people who bring fresh energy and a genuine eagerness to learn whilst supporting local education within the North West.
From Work Placement to Permanent Employees
Work placements don't always lead to job offers. In most cases, we offer a fixed-term learning experience that ends with the academic year. So, our decision to offer these students contracts at the end of their placement shows how much these young people impressed us with their willingness to learn and their excellent work ethic.
When a work placement can naturally evolve into a long-term career opportunity, it’s good for everyone involved. For the student, it means they’ve found a nurturing environment where they can grow their skills, and for us, it means we’ve found excellent team members whose futures we want to invest in. These relationships between industry and education provide a career pipeline for young people, helping the whole engineering sector, not just our company.
Why This Matters for Engineering
The UK engineering sector faces a well-documented skills challenge, costing the economy an estimated £1.5 billion annually. Many factors contribute to the STEM skills gap, including an ageing workforce, shortages of applicants for entry/mid-level roles, inequalities in opportunities for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and a lack of diversity are just some of the core contributors to the engineering skills gap. These issues combined limit the available talent pool for recruiters.
Work placements and vocational routes that build technical and occupation-specific skills are part of the answer. They give students a route into industry, allowing them to apply classroom learning in a practical setting, and they give employers the chance to develop emerging talent at an early stage. When businesses and colleges work together, everyone benefits: the student gets a career footing, the business gets skilled staff, and the wider industry gets the new talent it desperately needs.
At Parsch UK, we’re glad to be doing our part to improve the future of UK engineering.
A Business Built on People
With our specialism in layflat hoses, firefighting equipment, and professional fluid transfer systems, we know our hoses often end up in demanding, safety-critical environments. Fire services, utilities, civil engineering contractors, and leisure facilities are just some of the customers who rely on our products and expect trustworthy fluid transfer equipment from us. That means everyone on our team needs to be knowledgeable and precise, sharing our commitment to quality and safety.
Whether you're sourcing layflat hose assemblies for a fire service tender, fitting out an industrial site, or looking for specialist fluid transfer solutions for a leisure project, you're working with a business that takes quality seriously – both in its products and its people.
