The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has appointed Ian Cooke as director of academy.
Cooke is one of several new appointments to the association’s management team. The academy oversees LEEA’s training and development programmes. Ross Moloney, ceo at LEEA, said: “[Cooke] brings a wealth of experience to the academy, which is a vital part of the association and plays a crucial contribution to ensuring the lifting industry’s sustainability.”
Cooke commenced his career as a business management lecturer while running adult education services in his local community. He then joined the National Examination Board in Occupation Safety and Health (NEBOSH) as business development executive for UK and Ireland. That role evolved from customer support to becoming an auditor, going on to be an essential part of establishing the body’s audit protocol.
Commenting on his new role at LEEA, Cooke said: “There is a clear industry challenge surrounding the skills shortage. However, this presents an opportunity to promote our industry as a great occupation, creating courses that learners will want to take to boost their career. Employers will look for LEEA qualifications when recruiting, so giving learners a qualification with value will help them to gain employment. Showing success stories demonstrating this will encourage younger generations into training and the industry.”
