Lights, Microphone, Action: Eric Nicholls Makes His Podcast Debut
It turns out that four decades in manufacturing was only the beginning. Our Managing Director, Eric Nicholls, recently made his podcast debut — and by all accounts, he took to it rather well. So well, in fact, that he has since become something of a minor internet sensation. We couldn’t be more delighted.
Steph on Skills: A National Platform for a Local Champion
Eric was invited to appear on Steph on Skills, a podcast powered by Enginuity — the skills and workforce body for engineering and manufacturing in the UK. The series features interviews conducted by Steph McGovern, the well-known former BBC Breakfast presenter who is now also part of The Rest Is Money podcast alongside journalist Robert Peston. Steph brings warmth, curiosity, and a sharp instinct for getting to the heart of a subject — which made for a genuinely engaging conversation.
The episode centred on the skills and training landscape in Cornwall — a topic Eric knows intimately. Drawing on his long-standing involvement with the Cornwall Manufacturers Group and his close working relationships with local training providers, he offered a candid and thoughtful perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s manufacturing workforce.
Inspiring the Workforce of the Future
At the core of the conversation was a question that matters deeply to Eric and to Spiral UK: how do we inspire the next generation to choose a career in manufacturing? It is a question the industry grapples with nationally, but one that has a particular resonance in Cornwall, where businesses like ours are committed to building skilled, sustainable teams for the long term.
Eric spoke about his work with Enginuity and Make UK, two of the leading organisations advocating for the sector, and the practical steps being taken to raise the profile of manufacturing as a rewarding and progressive career. At Spiral UK, we are proud of every single staircase that leaves our workshop and goes into homes and buildings across the country. It is that pride in the craft, Eric argued, that is one of the most powerful tools we have in attracting new talent.
The conversation also touched on the importance of strong partnerships between manufacturers and training providers, ensuring that what is taught in the classroom reflects what is needed on the workshop floor. It is an area where Eric has been particularly active, working to bridge the gap between education and industry in Cornwall.
Have a Listen
Whether you are involved in manufacturing, interested in skills and training, or simply curious to hear what a Cornish staircase manufacturer has to say on a nationally distributed podcast, we think you’ll enjoy it. Eric speaks with real passion about the industry he has devoted his career to, and Steph McGovern is, as ever, the ideal person to draw it out of him.
Listen to the Steph on Skills podcast, powered by Enginuity, wherever you get your podcasts or find the episode via the Enginuity website.