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Engineering graduates for industry: enhancing effective practice in employer engagement

Date:
16 Sep 2010
Location:
The Royal Academy of Engineering, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG
Organised by:
The Engineering Subject Centre and the Royal Academy of Engineering
Download:
application/pdf iconegi-event-flyer.pdf

Engineering graduates are key to providing the higher level skills that are required for economic recovery and long-term prosperity in the UK and must have practical experience of real industrial environments. The recent Engineering Graduates for Industry report states that “Sustainable world-class experience-led HE engineering degree programmes which attract the best students are an essential element to meet the graduate recruitment needs of industry” and recommends that significant time and energy should be directed towards building, enhancing and sustaining university/industry partnerships.

This seminar will provided an opportunity for employers and engineering academics to develop ideas on how to build effective collaborations in engineering degree programmes.

The aims of the event were:

  • to share effective practice in increasing industry input into the engineering curriculum, ranging from small-scale interventions in teaching to radical change across engineering programmes
  • to build effective collaborations between industry and universities.

The event was be underpinned by examples of effective practice drawn from the London Engineering Project and the case studies in the Engineering Graduates for Industry report. There was also an opportunity to discuss potential ideas for employer engagement funding under the HE STEM programme.

The event was of interest to employers of engineering graduates and those responsible for programme design and curriculum development. Delegates left the event with ideas and contacts that enabled them to increase employer engagement with universities. This event was offered free of charge.

Resources from the event
Sessions
Key findings from the Engineering Graduates for Industry report and the benefits of partnerships between universities and industry
Fiona Lamb, Engineering Subject Centre, Project Director

Workshop 1

Experience counts: placements in industry
(Dr Trevor Oliver, Aston University)

Workshop 2

Relevance motivates: industry-based group
projects

Case study: The Teaching Contract Scheme in the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
(Peter Willmot, Loughborough University)

The involvement of industry in teaching - a guide for academics

Summary notes from discussions:

  1. The biggest motivator for companies to work with undergrads is brand awareness. The industrialists reported that they saw working with universities as an efficient way to make their company known to undergraduates (in particular those companies that might not be clearly ‘engineering’).  Working with students during projects and placements provide long job interviews and employers can identify the best graduates.

    The academics reported that their motivation for getting industrialists involved in teaching and providing industry based projects was to improve the employability of their graduates.

  2. What sort of project can students realistically do and at what stage in their education and to what level of deliverables?  The discussion group came up with many ideas about potential projects for students at different levels in their degree courses but summarised by saying that projects are only limited by imagination (and in some cases costs). In the experience of both academics and industrialists, any project could be set at any stage provided there is a realistic expectation about the likely deliverables.
  3. How can university links be managed for the long term, e.g. when company enthusiasts/academics move on?  It was agreed that this is an issue that needs to be seriously considered and addressed by both companies and universities.  Various solutions were suggested such as ensuring that partnerships are not too dependent on individuals but there is more of a team approach.  The support from senior staff was also felt to be important in sustaining links.
What does industry gain from increased collaboration with universities?
Bob Pendlebury, JCB Academy, Associate Director of Engineering
Building effective partnerships to increase engagement between industry and
universities
Each workshop will give a perspective from the employer, university and student and discuss
practical ways that would enable industry and universities to work together more effectively

Workshop 3

Understanding stakeholder needs
(Rob Best, London South Bank University)

Chair: Hal Igarashi,
Royal Academy of Engineering

Workshop 4

Industrial input into teaching: visiting professors (Richard Dodds, The University of Liverpool)

Chair: Fiona Lamb

Moving forward: developing ideas to take away:

Discussion groups will bring together industrialists and academics to discuss ideas for working
in partnership. Topics could include:

  • what mechanisms would enable academics to gain insights into industry?
  • how can academics and their students gain more experience of industry?
  • how to adopt innovative approaches to sustaining relationships?
  • what is the potential for increasing engagement through the use of alumni and existing
    national schemes?
  • what funding is available to support employer engagement?
Panel session
Networking reception

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