• Article
  • 19 Sep 2017
Pete BurdenPhoto
Pete Burden

Dorset EMC Highlights Funding Opportunity for Employers

Dorset EMC Highlights Funding Opportunity for Employers.jpg + Listing Image

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Dorset Engineering and Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) meeting at Bournemouth University. The meeting was held in the impressive new Fusion Building at the Talbot Heath Campus. It was a breakfast meeting, but as ever the University eased the pain by providing bacon butties and pastries.

The first speaker was Dr Philip Sewell, Head of the Design & Engineering Department. He gave an overview of the courses available at the university and some of the interesting projects they have collaborated with industry on. Of particular interest was the announcement that the university will be offering an Apprenticeship Degree from September 2018, which will be fundable from the apprenticeship levy. It was also encouraging that the University would like to hear from industry to help them shape their courses for the future to ensure students are experience in the right way for the workplace.

Second up was Simon Edmonds who is the Director of Manufacturing and Materials at Innovate UK.  He outlined how Innovate UK supports UK Manufacturing by linking businesses with academics, government, funding and commercial opportunities.

Paul Brookes, Head of Product Development at Siemens in Poole came next.  He gave a very informative presentation on collaboration in engineering projects, highlighting the dos and don’ts for a successful collaborative project, with some interesting examples proving that the world of traffic management is more than switching traffic lights from green to red.

Following the formal conference there was an opportunity for a tour of the newly opened Engineering Facility at the University. It was great to see the University’s commitment to engineering being confirmed by the significant investment they have put into this new facility. The opportunity for students to get hands on experience will back up the academic work done by the university and should ensure well round graduates, preparing for real world jobs.

If you would like more information about the Dorset EMC please visit their website here.

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