Business-University Collaboration
A MEETING OF MINDS
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The project represents one of the most significant developments in Engineering Education for a generation and illustrates an unprecedented level of
collaboration between industry and academic partners. In addition, the £37.5 million development is underpinned by a joint 10-year commitment to develop a national centre for Industrial Power and Energy
Engineering.
The University of Lincoln has seen a meteoric rise up the league tables and is now ranked among the top 50 UK universities, a direct result of its innovative approach to business-university collaboration. Andrew Stevenson, Director of Research and Enterprise, University of Lincoln sheds light on why one of these collaborative partnerships – with engineering giant, Siemens – has been described by John Hayes, former Minister for Further Education and Skills, as a “perfect marriage”…
S
iemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd (Siemens) and the University of Lincoln established the Lincoln School of Engineering in September 2009, forming the UK’s first dedicated centre for Industrial Power Generation Engineering. The collaboration recently won the Times Higher Education award for Outstanding Employer Engagement. The project represents one of the most significant developments in Engineering Education for a generation and illustrates an unprecedented level of collaboration between industry and academic partners. In addition, the £37.5 million development is underpinned by a joint 10-year commitment to develop a national centre for Industrial Power and Energy Engineering. In August 2011, a co-designed £7.5 million building – the Engineering Hub – was opened, and officially inaugurated by the Princess Royal in January 2012. The Hub is home to both the School of Engineering and Siemens’ Product Training Group, who have rationalised their operation and reduced their annual costs by 25%. Moreover, the University’s accreditation of Siemens training courses has lead to a two-fold increase in demand.
The main success of this scheme to date lies in the fact academics and Siemens employees are co-located, meaning that students benefit from real-world, practical experience with world-class gas turbines alongside the delivery of the theoretical underpinnings provided within an academic environment. It also provides an opportunity to extend students’ learning from beyond the lecture room or lab and into a hands-on, professional environment.
Collaboration ranges from joint interviewing and
recruitment of potential staff to novel course structures developed to meet Siemens’ needs and those of other local engineering companies. The mode of teaching is based on a concentrated week-long block delivery that enables part-time students (who represent half of the total
student numbers) to experience university life to the full, while full-time students are able to benefit from up to 32 weeks work-placements during their studies. The collaboration also extends to research projects. The University is working on the next generation of products for Siemens, and is able to work in the medium to long term horizon on applied research in a way the company never could before. The impact of this development can also be measured on an international scale. Siemens announced in October 2012 that it has only six UK university partners, of which Lincoln is one, and that the ‘Lincoln initiative’ is a model of best practice that the global business is seeking to replicate. Closer to home, the region’s SMEs have naturally coalesced around the Engineering Hub, and contact with 450 businesses has been established during the last year. The University of Lincoln and Siemens also received a prestigious Lord Stafford Award for Open Collaboration in November 2011 and have been highly commended by both the IMechE and IET.
Such an innovative partnership has seen a huge shift in
recognition for graduate recruitment, attracting interest from local and national recruiters in the fields of engineering. The benefits also extend beyond the engineering school. As a result of being awarded principal university status, Siemens’ talent acquisition team works closely with the University’s Careers and Employability Team to engage with talent across the institution, from engineering to business and marketing. The collaboration has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of large graduate recruiters seeking to engage at the University’s recent annual Careers and Placements Fair, held in late 2012. It is proving to be a very healthy marriage, providing employers with access to diverse graduate expertise while offering graduates access to employers as well as opportunities to further enhance their prospects.
www.uolcareers.co.uk
GRADUATE RECRUITER 15
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