INDUSTRY NEWS
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC LAUNCHES RANGE OF OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (OT) CYBER SECURITY SERVICES
UK’s range of OT cyber security services are designed to enable organisations to evidence the measures and strategies they are implementing to reduce the risk of attack, and show that they have a recovery strategy in place should an attack occur. All of these will be requirements contained within the Bill. UK businesses have an obligation to
To address growing cyber threats within the manufacturing industry and align with legislation and standards, Mitsubishi Electric UK Automation Systems has launched a range of Operational Technology (OT) cyber security services in the UK. With pending legislation – such as the ‘Cyber Security and Resilience Bill’, which will focus on an organisation’s IT and OT critical infrastructure – expected to be introduced, Mitsubishi Electric
protect themselves against the threat of cyber attacks. The OT layer – the infrastructure of physical processes, industrial systems and networks – is where organisations may be at their most vulnerable and possibly where the least amount of knowledge of potential vulnerabilities exists. Indeed, 94% of organisations reported being at risk of OT cyber incidents in 2024, with 98% among them experiencing incidents affecting their OT environments over the course of the year.
NEW FIVE-YEAR PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACCESS TO STEM EXPERIENCES
EngineeringUK and the City & Guilds Foundation have announced a five-year partnership designed to improve access to consistent, high-quality science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) experiences among secondary school students. By empowering schools to shift from sporadic, one-off events towards an embedded culture of sustained STEM engagement, the project seeks to positively influence students’ educational performance and aspirations for STEM careers. The initiative will provide substantial
multi-year bursaries and expert support to schools, designed to remove barriers
to sustained STEM participation for students as they progress from year 7 to year 11. Examples of STEM activities students might participate in over the 5 years include: • A hands-on STEM exploration project or workshop, such as those listed on Neon • An engineering and technology related school trip, for example to The Big Bang Fair - the UK's biggest annual STEM event for young people • A class-based activity where students ‘act like an engineer’, for example taking part in Tomorrow’s Engineers Week
• Lessons with enhanced resources that link STEM curricula to students’ topics of interest, such as tackling climate change with Climate Schools Programme • An extra-curricular STEM club, for example, a Climate Action Club, where they develop their own projects and build team working skills
• Career talks, information, and case studies, from people working in engineering and technology. Amanda Aldercotte, head of Evaluation and Impact at EngineeringUK, commented: “We’re
excited to partner with the City & Guilds Foundation on this first of its kind project. We want to support schools in offering all their students access to meaningful, sustained STEM experiences that support their aspirations and future career. “By targeting diverse demographics, we will be able to reach students from disadvantaged
backgrounds and those groups typically underrepresented in the engineering and technology sector. In the long term we hope this will improve their access to high-demand STEM careers with higher salaries and increase opportunities for career progression and meaningful employment.” Adding to this, Polly Rowe, head of Foundation Programmes and Engagement, City & Guilds
Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be working with EngineeringUK and supporting their initiative focused on pupils facing economic and geographical disadvantages. Inspiring children to engage with STEM activities during secondary education will improve academic outcomes and unlock life-changing opportunities, while helping to address the acute skills shortage in the UK STEM sector.”
www.engineeringuk.com/ 6 DESIGN SOLUTIONS NOVEMBER 2025 This important step in the fight against
growing cyber threats has been developed through Mitsubishi Electric’s collaboration with industrial cyber security specialists Tekgem UK. Chris Evans, strategic development manager at Mitsubishi Electric UK Automation Systems, commented: “With cyber threats constantly evolving, it has never been more important for organisations to protect against these attacks. “Organisations have an obligation to protect themselves against cyber attacks, or at least to reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). Our OT cyber security services help organisations to meet their governance, risk and compliance obligations, align with legislation and help reduce cyber risk in their critical infrastructure.”
www.MitsubishiElectric.com
BECKHOFF EXPANDS UK TRAINING FACILITY
Beckhoff UK has opened a training facility in Huntingdon. 50% larger than the previous site, this will be headed by Beckhoff UK’s training manager, Etienne Phillips. The facility accommodates twelve participants and is equipped with state-of-the-art AV systems and dedicated training rigs. Together with recent expansions at Beckhoff’s Glasgow office and new office at Alderley Park, the company can now offer more training places than ever before. “The new Huntingdon centre allows us to
scale up while also improving the training experience with modern facilities and hands- on equipment,” said Phillips. “It is a significant step forward in how we support our customers and demonstrates Beckhoff’s commitment to closing the skills gap in automation.” Alongside Beckhoff’s established PLC
programming courses, new streams are being designed to meet the needs of software developers entering the automation sector. The company also plans to introduce CPD-style courses covering topics such as machine vision fundamentals and object-oriented programming, offering knowledge that can be applied across multiple platforms. Phillips added: “By providing both introductory
and advanced courses, and by planning manufacturer-agnostic CPD options, we aim to help engineers at every stage of their careers.” Anyone interested in attending its training
sessions should email
training@beckhoff.com.
www.beckhoff.co.uk/
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