[05
DEC 00] UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK NEWS
New Degrees For Talented Engineers
A
scheme that allows firms such as Marconi, BMW and Land Rover to put
trainee engineers through a degree course is to be extended.
Small
and medium sized companies in Coventry and Warwickshire will now be
able to get involved with the University of Warwick's engineering
Partnership Degrees.
They
enable companies to attract bright young trainee engineers and train
them to degree standard while doing useful work in the company at the
same time.
The
trainees learn by a mix of concentrated sessions on campus, spending
only 10 to 11 weeks a year at university, and company projects that
produce useful real work from their first day of employment.
The
degree is also accredited by the IEE for chartered engineer status.
Warwick
has piloted two successful partnership degrees, both of which have
become major programmes: Electronics and Communication Technologies
with Marconi, and Engineering Manufacturing and Management with
students from BMW, Land Rover & MG Rover.
The
programmes have won much praise and Warwick is now opening them up to
other companies. Frank Haydon, then at Rover and BMW, said:
"Partnership
degrees give companies an engineer who is numerate, articulate,
competent and effective in the business of the company.
Chris
Poole, from Cosworth Technology Limited, said:
"The
partnership degree has been devised to extend the student's personal
understanding and confidence.
“Engineering
organisations reward such professional practice and qualifications
with further development and promotion, recognising the enormous
value it brings to their business."
"The
students themselves benefit from the programme by being able to
study for their degree while earning a real salary for doing a real
job of work.
Lee
Bullock, who graduated in 1997 and is now a Vibration and Comfort
Project Engineer at Land Rover, said:
"We
were helped in our academic understanding by seeing it applied in
real life situations.
Thomas
Bradford, who graduated this summer and is now a BMW Group planning
engineer, added:
“The
Partnership Degree has directly benefited me - some of the content I
thought least useful during the course I now find myself having to
apply to the real industrial world most often.
The degree has definitely had a positive influence on my
career.
"I
bring to BMW three years of industrial experience and a highly
regarded engineering degree, which is something very few graduates
can say. Within the company this is looked upon favourably, boosting
my future career prospects.”
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