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Eclipse IP, who are considering overseas expansion after investing in youth development, believe that ambitious young employees with the right tools can give businesses the competitive edge they require to succeed and expand. 

The Dunfermline based technology company, founded in 2009, offer integrated security, safety and energy systems including IP (internet protocol) cameras, analytics software and customer support. 

The business has always believed in encouraging the ambitions of its youngest members of staff. Managing director, Neil Alexander said: “Our marketing and communications manager, who is in his 20s, has been with us since leaving school and can do things that we can’t. He has grown up with social media and gets it in a way that we don’t, so his knowledge is helping us to grow and innovate.”.

In the past 12 months the company has completed an acquisition and moved to bigger premises. With more staff on its books, Eclipse wanted to formalise its approach to recruitment and staff training. It was especially keen to develop the next generation of the business in order to encourage fresh thinking and maintain its talent pipeline.

Working in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise, Eclipse conducted a wide-ranging personnel review.

Neil said: “With just 16 employees, we’re not a big company but as we grow, keeping the lines of communication open with staff has been increasingly challenging. We wanted to understand what skills we had in the business and how people felt about their jobs and their career prospects.

“We have some really talented young people but we needed to introduce a quantifiable path for them. The engineering side of things has been easier because there is a framework in place but we want to make sure we get it right for every individual.

“We have adventurous plans for growing in Scotland and further afield. We have already won contracts in Greece and Mexico and want to do more in foreign markets.

“We also wanted to know how to motivate our staff and encourage them to speak up with their ideas.”

Eclipse introduced new HR and recruitment processes, including formal inductions and a performance appraisal procedure. They also expanded their Modern Apprentice scheme and now employ five Modern Apprentices, including one young engineer who was responsible for the security cameras during the closing ceremony at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, attended by Prince Edward, amongst others.

Each of the Modern Apprentices will spend three years training at Eclipse, whilst studying for qualifications at Motherwell College. Steps have also been taken towards recruiting two graduates with foreign language skills to assist with overseas expansion, through the Scotgrad graduate placement scheme. 

“The review helped to identify the skills we have within the business, what we are doing well and where there are gaps.” Neil said.

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