Air Control Industries launches graduate engineering programme to address sector skills gap

Air Control Industries Ltd — 29/06/2026

Air Control Industries launches graduate engineering programme to address sector skills gap

We have launched our first Engineering Graduate Programme as part of a long-term strategy to help address the UK’s engineering skills shortage and build in-house capability across our manufacturing operations.

As an employee-owned manufacturer based in Devon, we specialise in industrial air movement and drying technologies. Our structured two-year Engineering Graduate Programme is designed to develop early-career engineers through rotational placements across our core business functions. The initiative reflects a broader industry push to strengthen domestic engineering talent pipelines amid ongoing recruitment challenges.

Founded in 1969 and employee-owned since 2023, we are now led by Managing Director Lucy Cockerill. Our strategy focuses on sustainable growth, technical innovation and developing the next generation of engineering talent.

The graduate programme will take on one to two candidates annually, prioritising depth of training over volume intake. Successful applicants will gain hands-on experience in operations, manufacturing, quality assurance, product design and commercial engineering, working on live projects from the outset.

Our product portfolio includes industrial fans, blowers and air knife systems designed to improve energy efficiency, process reliability and workplace safety. These are deployed across multiple sectors, including food and beverage, manufacturing and industrial processing, under its core brand and specialist divisions such as JetBlack Safety personnel safety solutions and Hyroic drying technology.

Mat Ayres, Innovation & Engineering Manager, said: “The programme is intended not only to support recruitment but also to enhance knowledge retention and cross-functional collaboration within the business. Graduates will be involved in process improvement initiatives, documentation of engineering best practices, and supporting continuous improvement activities across the production environment.

“Developing engineering talent is critical to the long-term resilience of UK manufacturing. This programme is designed to accelerate practical learning, embed technical expertise and bring new perspectives into the business. As an employee-owned company, we are particularly focused on creating meaningful career pathways and retaining skills within the organisation.”

Successful candidates are due to begin in September at our Axminster facility.

The launch signals a continued shift among UK manufacturers towards structured early-career development to address skills shortages, improve productivity, and support future innovation.

Air Control Industries Strengthens Senior Leadership Team

Air Control Industries Ltd — 06/10/2026

Three senior leaders heading Commercial, Innovation and Operations all began their ACI careers in entry-level roles

Air Control Industries has highlighted its long-standing commitment to internal career development, with three members of its Senior Leadership Team having progressed from entry-level roles within the business to senior divisional leadership positions.

Matthew Shelley, Mat Ayres and Dexter Neesam now lead the company's Commercial, Innovation and Operations divisions respectively. Between them, they represent around 40 years of experience at Air Control Industries.

From entry-level roles to senior leadership

Matthew Shelley

Now Head of Commercial, Matt began his career with ACI in 2004 as a trainee in the design office. ACI was his first-ever employer. After moving into sales, he became Business Development Manager, Channel Sales Manager and Commercial Manager before taking on his current role leading the company’s commercial division.

Mat Ayres

Now Head of Innovation, Mat joined ACI in 2016 as a Trainee Design Engineer after training as a landscape architect at Falmouth University. His career at ACI has since moved through Project Management, Innovation and Engineering leadership before he joined the Senior Leadership Team and progressed into his current role.

Dexter Neesam

Now Head of Operations, Dexter joined the company in 2017 as a Trainee Applications Engineer. He progressed through the commercial side of the business, becoming Technical Sales Manager in 2023. Recognising his wider leadership potential, ACI later moved him into Operations, where he now leads the division as Head of Operations.

The appointments reflect ACI’s wider focus on organisational development, internal progression, leadership training and long-term succession planning.

Creating opportunities to learn, move and grow

“Movement is central to what we do at ACI,” said Lucy Cockerill, Managing Director of Air Control Industries. “Usually, we are talking about the movement of air. But the movement of people within our business matters just as much.

“Matthew, Mat and Dexter are excellent examples of what can happen when people are given the opportunity to learn, move and grow within an organisation. None of their careers has followed a perfectly straight line, and that is something we actively encourage. They have moved between teams, taken on unfamiliar challenges and stepped into roles that looked very different from where they started.”

Over recent years, ACI has placed increased focus on organisational design, leadership development, executive coaching and formal training, with the aim of creating a learning organisation where employees are supported to develop long-term careers.

“People should not be limited by the role they first walked into,” added Cockerill. “We want ACI to be a place where talent is recognised, developed and given room to move. The future of the business will not be built by products, processes or systems alone. It will be built by people.”

Cockerill said the development of the Senior Leadership Team forms part of a broader commitment to building future leaders from within the organisation.

“Their development will not stop here,” she said. “These roles are the next stage of their careers, not the end point. We are actively working with them so that, when future opportunities arise, they are ready for them.”

The progression of Matthew, Mat and Dexter reflects ACI’s wider commitment to developing people from within, creating career pathways that allow employees to move across departments, broaden their experience and build long-term careers with the business.

Photo left to right: Matthew Shelley, Head of Commercial; Mat Ayres, Head of Innovation; and Dexter Neesam, Head of Operations at Air Control Industries.