Member Article

Budding engineering talent championed at EDT regional finals

Budding North West talent within Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) has today (WED, JULY 06) been championed at the Engineering Development Trust’s (EDT) ‘Year in Industry’ regional finals.

The EDT is an educational charity. It offers placements, projects and accreditations across STEM related subjects to more than 30,000 young people each year between the ages of 11 and 21.

Its ‘Year in Industry’ program is designed to catapult young people into business to gain industry level skills and experience after A levels and before going onto university or as part of their degree.

The nationwide event sees a total of 300 students placed with top UK companies every year including Scottish Power, Shell, Rolls Royce, EDF, Network Rail and GKN. The North West regional where held at SP Energy Networks Training Centre, in Hoylake, Wirral. A total of eight business leaders took to the panel to mark presentations by six students selected for making the most effective contribution to their host company’s business.

The overall winner was Zoe Lockley for her rail bridge safety project for Arcadis design and consultancy firm. Zoe received a £500 cash prize donated by EDT sponsor and Bury-based cable seal manufacturer Roxtec. She will now progress onto the national finals due to take place in London later this year where the winner will receive £1,000.

Charity Watkins EDT North of England Regional Director said the student presentations reinforced both the wealth of young talent and calibre of STEM related business across the North West region. “The ‘Year In Industry’ program enables young people to experience real, challenging, paid work which is relevant to their intended or actual degree discipline,” said Ms Watkins. “It comes during a crucial time in their development providing invaluable knowledge and experience of the work place. However, the initiative is very much a two-way street. While a core aim is to enrich student study and development it also allows local firms access to the brightest young talent from across our region at an early stage in their career.

“This year’s North West regional finals were as strong as ever, giving real validity to the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ brand. The North West remains a hotbed for manufacturing and engineering expertise, while there is also pioneering work being delivered under the science, technology and mathematic banners.

“However, for many employers finding people with the right skills remains the biggest challenge. A recent report from the CBI found that 74pc of engineering, science and hi-tech firms needed more highly skilled workers, followed by construction at 73 per cent and manufacturing at 69 per cent. This is why the EDT believes so strongly in investing in a local talent pipeline, and the ‘Year in Industry’ program is designed to specifically tackle this issue. “We are thrilled for Zoe and wish her the best of luck as she now targets national success. She was one of four girls who made it this year’s North West regional finals providing a positive backdrop to the national outcry about the lack of women in engineering. A total of 90% of females who have taken part in the EDT’s Engineering Education Scheme have been employed within a STEM related discipline in their first job.”

Arcadis senior engineer David Rowlinson managed Zoe Lockley in the Rail Structures team. He said Zoe is the latest of many students which Arcadis have supported through the EDT Year in Industry Scheme.

“Zoe has been outstanding in her ability to grasp challenging concepts and quickly develop the skills required to meet our client’s needs,” said Mr Rowlinson. Her contribution has been fantastic, across various areas in engineering design. She has carried out calculations and drawing work to deliver a range of bridge designs in Cumbria for Story Contracting and Network Rail. She took part in the weekend night time survey works, often in the depths of winter, supervising the coring, pitting and measuring works which are essential to ensure that new bridges can be constructed quickly and function properly in the existing environment. “Her skills and abilities were quickly recognised and she was whisked off to London to deliver commercial modelling on major multi-million pound bids for national infrastructure projects. In this role she became indispensable due to her quick thinking and flexible project solving approach. The pressure cooker environment of a bid team requires accuracy, clarity of mind and a will to succeed – it is testament to Zoe’s skills that she fit in so well to that team. She has been an outstanding help to the business over the last year. She fast became a trusted member of the team, and we look forward to seeing her after her first year studying civil engineering at Coventry University.”

Other student and business pairings which made it through to the North West regional heats include Emma Cummings and EA Technology, John Hall and Procter & Gamble, Katie Mawdsley and Procter & Gamble, John Ochogwu and Saint–Gobain Isover, and Oghenefe Otobrise and Scottish Power Energy Networks.

The companies provided a specification, including the type of student they were looking for with skills and personality criteria to help identify who would fit into the team. The EDT then matched registered, pre-interviewed students before sending a small number of CVs for the business to review. Ms Watkins said students’ roles vary greatly in placements secured across all areas of engineering, science, IT, e-commerce, business, marketing, finance and logistics.

“The employers we work with find that dedicated placement students can help drive the business forward and at the same time provide a highly cost effective resource,” said Ms Watkins. “They can tackle a short term project that can make a real difference to the company, or provide an additional pair of hands for your organisation at a busy time. We also typically see student resource pumped into solving problems that have been shelved as non-business critical but could make a real difference. For our students, the ‘Year in Industry’ sets them on a fast track to their future career.”

For more information contact Charity Watkins on Tel: 0161 278 2495 Email: c.watkins@etrust.org.uk or visit the website www.etrust.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Pinnington .