At Laird, technology plays a vital role, but it’s our people who truly bring that technology to life. This week, a group of our engineers travelled to Blackpool and The Fylde College to participate in targeted, high‑calibre training sessions on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), vehicle damage assessment, and estimating techniques.
Our Humans Are Our Greatest Asset
We believe deeply in the power of human skill, judgement and collaboration. Technology can enhance our work, but it’s our engineers who interpret data, apply intuition, mentor others, and foster trust with clients and stakeholders. By investing in their growth, we’re investing in what makes Laird different: our team.
Extending the Laird Engineers Academy
You might remember our original Engineer Academy Update, which marked a pivotal moment in our development culture. Designed to support engineers through every stage, from rookie to fully qualified assessor, the Academy has already enabled internal promotions, interpersonal growth and a culture rooted in Kaizen and upside-down management.
This week’s training is the latest extension of that commitment. Just as the Academy has cultivated junior talent like Lauren and Becky, and empowered a future leader in Adam, this external training ensures all our engineers—regardless of experience—stay at the cutting edge of industry practice.
Why ADAS, Damage & Estimating Matter Now
- ADAS Systems: With modern vehicles equipped with lane-keeping, emergency braking and driver monitoring, engineers must understand how failures or damage affect these systems.
- Damage Assessment: Accurate judgement — not just automated measures — ensures fair, compliant, and robust evaluations.
- Estimating Precision: From parts sourcing to repair labour, it’s a complex balance of cost, safety and timeline—one that requires expert acumen more than automated guesswork.
From Learning Back to Laird
Upon their return, our engineers will:
- Share insights through internal workshops, spreading new knowledge across the team.
- Upgrade our processes, refining workflows and tools based on the latest standards.
- Strengthen our client service, enabling faster, clearer, more confident assessments and reports.
These steps echo the Academy’s original mission to deliver “practical skills & competence ultimately leading to a more efficient company and motivated teams”
Committed to Continuous Development
From the Academy’s launch, to nurturing promising engineers internally, to engaging with external expertise like this week’s training, Laird’s focus remains clear: our people come first. That investment has paid off in stronger teams, smarter processes, and outstanding service.
We’re proud to continue scaling that promise, bringing the best of modern practice to every engineer, leveraging technology underpinned by human insight.
Stay tuned for updates on further training, Academy milestones, and the tangible impact this learning will have on our assessments and client experience.