Eric has been named among Make UK’s 130 Honours, celebrating 130 people, nationwide, who have made an outstanding contribution to manufacturing. CMG’s CEO has also taken up a new position as a Trustee on the Board of Enginuity, the UK charity dedicated to closing skills gaps in engineering and manufacturing.
The two announcements recognise Eric’s longstanding commitment to manufacturing, but they also reflect something much bigger: the growing profile of Cornwall’s manufacturing community and the work being done in the county to bring industry, education and skills closer together.
Through CMG, Eric has been a driving force behind building a stronger collective voice for Cornwall’s manufacturers, encouraging businesses to work together rather than in isolation and creating stronger links with schools, colleges and young people.
That includes the development of the CMG Academy, in partnership with The Cornwall College Group, created to help bridge the gap between education and industry and give young people a much clearer view of the opportunities available within modern manufacturing.
It is an approach that is increasingly attracting attention beyond Cornwall, with national organisations and government representatives taking a growing interest in what the county’s manufacturers have achieved by working collaboratively.
Eric Nicholls, CEO of Cornwall Manufacturers Group, says: “It’s a real honour to receive this recognition from Make UK and to be joining the Enginuity Board, but what makes both particularly special is the opportunity they give us to keep putting Cornwall’s manufacturing community on the national stage.
We have some fantastic manufacturers here, employing thousands of people, investing in skills and technology and creating opportunities for the next generation. For a long time, I think Cornwall has been a little too quiet about just how much we achieve.
CMG has always been about bringing people together. When manufacturers share ideas, when industry works properly with education and when we speak with a collective voice, we can achieve far more. We’re seeing the results of that here in Cornwall.”
The Make UK 130 Honours have been created as part of Make UK’s 130th anniversary, recognising people who have helped shape manufacturing and who continue to champion the sector and its future.
Eric’s new role with Enginuity provides another opportunity to bring Cornwall’s experience into national discussions around one of manufacturing’s biggest challenges: developing the people and skills the industry needs for the future.
It also builds on a growing relationship between CMG and Enginuity, including Cornwall hosting the UK’s first Vocational Celebration Day in August, with a national broadcast from Teagle Machinery in Truro.
For CMG, that growing national involvement matters because it creates a two-way relationship: giving Cornwall a stronger voice while bringing new ideas, relationships and opportunities back into the county.
Eric concluded: “Cornwall might be geographically a long way from many of the UK’s traditional manufacturing centres, but that doesn’t mean our voice should be.
There is a lot happening here that Cornwall can be proud of and that others can learn from. Equally, the more connected we are nationally, the more opportunities we can bring back to our manufacturers, our education partners and ultimately the people who will become the next generation of our industry.
That’s what excites me most about both of these roles – making sure Cornwall is part of the conversation.”