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News Release from: South Yorkshire Engineering Scholarship
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 May 2007
Manufacturing students given initiative
Leading South Yorkshire, UK industrialists and Employers Federation have devised a novel initiative for the region's finest engineering and manufacturing students.
In recent years the local engineering and manufacturing industry has taken a hard knock from overseas competitors with lower operating costs But whilst the likes of China and India can offer cheap labour, Britain still leads the world in technical expertise and innovation
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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This adaptation into more technical engineering and manufacturing techniques, however, has meant there is a shortfall in high calibre engineering students entering the workforce.
This shortfall has been recently recognised by the region's leading industrialists and Employers Federation who, in response, have devised a unique initiative for the region's finest engineering and manufacturing students.
The South Yorkshire Engineering Scholarship Project, as the initiative is known, takes the 'cream' of engineering scholars from the four key local colleges and gives them valuable work focused skills to provide local engineering and manufacturing employers with 'industry' ready employees.
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John Edwards, scholarship manager said: "After identifying this need, a project was devised to attract better candidates into the profession, which was supported by Yorkshire Forward and the Learning Skills Council (LSC)".
"They agreed to fund a pilot for up to 56 full time engineering students to give them additional knowledge and skills." He said: "There are not only benefits to the scholars but the industry and potential employers throughout the whole of South Yorkshire greatly benefit from this Scholarship too." With the SYES employers have access to a pool of part-qualified engineers who really are the cream of the crop.
There is no recruitment costs, as potential employers can try the scholar on a work placement, which also enables them to 'mould' them into the company's culture prior to employment.
Employers also get flexibility, if a particular scholar is not suited to a particular company or position the remaining pool of scholars are available to step into the fold.
Also the scholars are already training in life and work skills and are therefore able to communicate in a variety of ways at all levels from the outset.
Students attending Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham colleges with five or more high grade GCSE's, who have also secured a placement on a full-time engineering or manufacturing course at National Diploma level, are entitled to apply for a place on the Scholarship Project.
Once selected onto the programme, the scholars benefit from a wide range of additional training to prepare them for careers in the industry.
The preparation includes company visits, residential weekends, work experiences, design and problem solving projects with employers, wider key skills, visits to trade fairs, and training in advanced engineering and manufacturing techniques.
Edwards continued: "The scholarship is now in its second year and has been extremely successful with all of last year's scholars either finding employment or moving on to university.
We are now inviting the region's leading engineering and manufacturing companies to take an active part in this initiative by sponsoring the scholarship and thereby investing in the future of industry in South Yorkshire.".
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