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Engineering Education, Resources and Standards
News Release from: National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC)
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 24 November 2006
Students complete pilot engineering
programme
A special event celebrated the success of the first set of students to successfully complete the pilot programme for the South Yorkshire Engineering Scholarship.
A special event was held at the National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC) in Rotherham recently to celebrate the success of the first set of students to successfully complete the pilot programme for the South Yorkshire Engineering Scholarship NAMTEC Chief Executive Dr Alan Partridge presented eight final year students with certificates and congratulated them on their work and on becoming part of the future of manufacturing and engineering in this region
The two year project is being run by Doncaster College, in association with Yorkshire Forward, the EEF, CoVE and the Learning and Skills Council and aims to address the skills shortage within the engineering and manufacturing industries in this region.
Althought the pilot scheme has been a huge success, Doncaster College is appealing for further funding from South Yorkshire businesses to ensure that the programme can continue in the future.
John Edwards, Scholarship Manager from the Engineering Unit at Doncaster College, said: "The first year of the pilot project has been a huge success and many students are now fully employed within engineering or manufacturing companies in the area or are pursuing higher education degrees in engineering".
"We are appealing for support from even more local businesses who can benefit by having access to a pool of young apprentices who are already work-ready and will be qualified to NVQ Level 2 when they finish".
"Businesses can make huge savings in the recruitment, selection and training of apprentices through the programme and can gauge a student's suitability before offering employment".
"We are looking for businesses to offer work placements as well as for sponsorship to ensure the long term future of the programme".
The programme has so far involved students from four colleges: Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster and over 20 local manufacturing and engineering businesses.
Students attend the Scholarship programme during term time and take part in a wide range of activities including work placements, employer interviews, team working activities that improve their communication and interpersonal skills as well as attending trade shows and researching and producing an industrial project.
The South Yorkshire Scholarship programme is designed to attract young people into the engineering and manufacturing sectors, who can contribute to the long term future of these industries in terms of innovation and competitiveness on a global scale.
One such success story is Paul Dack from Woodsetts, who has been offered a full time apprenticeship at Kostal in Goldthorpe, Rotherham.
Dack followed a work placement through the scholarship project with Kostal and is now working as an apprentice electronics technician in the company's RDE (Research and Development of Electronics) department.
Partridge said: "We are pleased to be involved with this project and it is very rewarding to hear how successful it has been so far".
"One of the main benefits is that students are given real life experience of working in an engineering or manufacturing environment, which prepares for this type of work and enables companies to identify talented young engineers of the future".
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