PM Group go Bronze with IChemE

The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) has awarded PM Group in the UK with Bronze Corporate partner status. The international project delivery company employs over 80 IChemE members across the whole group, who work primarily in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

The upgrade to Bronze Corporate Partner status is the next step in strengthening their working relationship with IChemE. It signifies the firm’s commitment to advancing the chemical engineering profession, and supporting engineers in becoming professionally registered.

PM Group runs a successful two year programme for engineering graduates, the Next Graduate Programme, which incorporates mentoring, training courses, site visits and site-based assignments. The programme trains graduates to ensure they obtain the key competencies and skills to apply for professional registration, such as Chartered Chemical Engineer.

The company has been a supporter of the Institution’s activities for a number of years, and will sponsor the Biotechnology category at this year’s IChemE Global Awards 2017. It also has a number of engineers involved in IChemE as volunteers, including Pharma Sector Director and IChemE Fellow Andy Rayner; Lead Process Engineer, Seona Turner, who plays an active role in the Food & Drink Special Interest Group, and Adam Hawthorne who supports the London and South East member group and IChemE’s Diversity work.

PM Group will join a select number of companies in the entry-level category of IChemE Corporate Partnership, which includes Atkins, Costain, and Syngenta.

As well as presenting Bronze Corporate Partner status to the firm, IChemE also confirmed that PM Group in the UK had achieved Accredited Company Training Scheme (ACTS) status for its in-company training.

The Corporate Partner presentation, which took place today at PM Group’s offices in Birmingham, UK, was attended by IChemE President Jonathan Seville, IChemE Director Andrew Furlong, and PM Group’s Managing Director for the UK, Peter Farrelly.

Jonathan Seville said:

“IChemE is taking a more active position in the area of formulation engineering; notably around food and it was good to see that PM Group’s Seona Turner and Paula Haran were closely involved in the recent discussions initiated by our Food and Drink Special Interest Group at the Campden BRI research centre. Those discussions resulted in a well-crafted contribution to the consultation on a new manufacturing strategy for the UK, which is being submitted today.

“Improving diversity within the chemical engineering profession is also an important issue for IChemE and I’d like to give a special mention to Adam Hawthorne for his work on social inclusion with colleagues from the Institution’s Diversity Working Group, and more broadly with our thriving London and South East Young Member Group.

“I’d like to thank Peter for giving his staff the time and the space to get involved with these activities. They are great examples of the Institution working closely with a corporate partner to advance the chemical engineering profession, and now we are able to formally recognise that collaboration by welcoming PM Group in the UK as the latest Bronze Corporate Partner of IChemE.”

Peter Farrelly said:

“We are really pleased to have been awarded Bronze Corporate Partner status by the IChemE. Helping to develop our engineers and the wider engineering profession plays a key part in our activity. This particular award is testament to our work and commitment in not only supporting our process engineers in the UK, but also enhancing the Chemical and Process Engineering community as a whole. We are particularly proud of our Next Graduate Programme and the fact that it is now an IChemE Accredited Company Training Scheme. We look forward to working closely with the IChemE in the future, as we continue to work towards Gold Corporate Partner status.”

PM Group is currently engaged with supporting education from primary schools all the way through to universities around the UK. They have been involved with a variety of activities including providing insights into process engineering during STEM focus days at primary and secondary schools and, more recently, taking part in London South Bank University’s Chemical School employability day. Now awarded Bronze Corporate Partner status, it plans to work on delivering such sessions in conjunction with the IChemE.