Stannah Helping Teachers Through STEM Project Enthuse
As part of the Joseph Stannah Foundation, Stannah signed up to Project Enthuse through STEM UK. This has allowed us to offer STEM Insight placements to teachers who want to gain a better understanding of needs of industry so they can encourage more students to study STEM subjects. A STEM placement is a unique way to gain real-life experience of what it’s like to work in industry. This gives teachers a better understanding of what the challenges are and also how rewarding a career in engineering for example might be like.
Stannah has recently welcomed our first teacher, Shelley Frape, from Harrow Way School in Andover.
Hosted by the Engineering department, Shelley came and spent a week with us learning about many different aspects of the business. After five full and varied days, Shelley left highly impressed with both the staff and the way the company does business.
Shelley wrote in to express her thanks:
Dear Stannah,
Thank you for the most interesting, enjoyable and varied week I have just spent at Stannah as part of the Teacher Enthuse Project. I met such wonderful people and quickly picked up what a pride they have in working for your family run business.
My week was carefully planned by Gary and Nigel who had clearly thought about the different aspects of your business and provided me with a very rich and varied insight into each stage from Concepts through to Installation. Fascinating, and as the week developed, everything became so much clearer.
I was so impressed with all of your employees and really appreciated everyone giving up so much of their time to explain to me, a total novice, their particular role in the process. Everyone spoke with a real passion about their work and I could see the pride they took in it. Special mention must go to the following:
Thank you to Andreas Szentistvany and his team for explaining their role from sketched designs, to CAD images. I was impressed with their creativity and attention to detail.
The day spent in Development Engineering was way above my electronics/software understanding and yet totally fascinating and enjoyable seeing how each part fitted into the final product and then the rigorous testing which was undertaken and how important safety and precision is, all clearly and simply communicated by Andy Hoath. Jorge Vazquez managed to tell me the ‘story’ of a recent project he had been a part of regarding rail supports. From initial request, thought processes, adjustments and then to final outcomes, I was totally gripped! What a storyteller! I never imagined I could be so fascinated by rail supports!
A huge thanks must also go to Daren in Digital Marketing for his enthusiasm and creativity in presenting your product to the public. I was so impressed with his ideas, future plans and use of technology. Seeing the App and the ‘mock up home’ really made me appreciate the visual element to your customers. It was then wonderful to see the App being used by one of your salesman, Shane, in a customer’s home. An excellent tool.
Another note of thanks must go to Danela in Production and her team who showed me around, explaining everything in a clear, ordered way. I was impressed by how much all people knew about every stage of the production stages and again, the pride and satisfaction with which they spoke about their role in that process.
I loved the team spirit in Tech support and am very grateful to Aaron for then showing me how the saleman’s surveys are converted into plans for installation and to Andy Lin for giving up so much of his time to explain everything regarding training and installation.
It really was a remarkable week. So many people said they had worked for Stannah for 20+ years which I think speaks volumes for the company. I will return to Harrow Way School, able to speak with far more confidence and knowledge about the fantastic, global, family run business on our doorsteps and the variety of skills and opportunities which you offer. In the future, if I ever do require a stairlift, then I know where to come, safe in the knowledge that from start to finish, it will have been carefully designed, made, tested and installed to the highest standards by some excellent employees.!
An unforgettable week – thank you!
Shelley Frape (Maths teacher at Harrow Way School, Andover)
Thank you Gary Kinghorn for organising a full agenda and to everyone who helped to make Shelley’s week such a success.