In partnership with Leek College, Humanoid has been shooting industry and interviews at several local engineering companies.  The college commissioned Humanoid as part of their campaign to raise the profile of local engineering.

A number of local firms opened their doors, allowing Humanoid's camera crew to capture business as usual: hundreds of Staffordshire engineers producing an astonishing range of products for international buyers.

Goodwin International champion their apprenticeship scheme, training their own engineers to work on components for military radar arrays and nuclear submarines.  Stoke-based Unilathe engage over 100 employees in machining for the rail, mining and aerospace industries, while Charles Leek & Sons - a business family-run for over a century - produces specialised individual gears for vintage cars.  Staffordshire Precision Engineering sell perfectly-balanced roulette wheels to casinos and chemistry equipment to American Ivy League universities.  Grenville Engineering's state-of-the-art laser cuts components for global heavy equipment giant JCB, who invited Humanoid to interview their own apprentices, still studying part-time at Leek College.

 "It's amazing to see the extensive and diverse range of skills demonstrated at locally-based engineering firms.  The level of opportunity available to young people in this sector is immense.  I hope our video helps to raise awareness of this exciting industry and helps to promote Leek College's excellent facilities and courses."  - Martyn Lomax, Managing Director, Humanoid Productions.

"If there was no engineering, the world wouldn't function", says Goodwin apprentice Reece Robinson, "its the most important industry you can be in".

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In what promises to be the start of an ongoing affiliation, Humanoid recently took the chance to pass along valuable lessons from their first two years to the next generation.

Directors Martyn Lomax and Tom Down shared tips and anecdotes with students of animation at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. The learners will spend the next few months working on 2D animations for charities in their local area as part of their studies.

Curriculum leader Paul Tanner commented "We are all looking forward to working with Martyn and Tom and have already received very positive feedback from our students about their recent visit" .

Humanoid can't wait to see the students' creativity take to the screen in 2012, when their work will be unveiled at a screening in the college auditorium, together with a viewing of the websites being produced as part of the same project.

Humanoid has recently created a series of short documentaries for South Staffordshire & Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust.

“Combating Stigma Within Mental Health” is the Trust’s campaign to end prejudice against people with mental health issues. Humanoid conducted interviews with current and former service users, all of whom had experienced stigmatisation. A series of reconstructions illustrate these harrowing events.

The documentaries were screened to Trust affiliates at their annual assembly. Several audience members remarked how moving they found the service users’ stories. Humanoid are optimistic that the perspective gained from these interviews will prompt a lasting improvement to the Trust’s services.
The videos will be available shortly on the Trust website.

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