First group of 10 science and engineering graduates on the SSDP have now completed the course - with others due to start later in the year
A specially-designed initiative is under way aimed at getting graduates ready for the work in process industry manufacturing.
The first group of 10 science and engineering graduates on the Sembcorp Skills Development Programme (SSDP) have now completed the course - with others due to start later in the year.
SSDP will take a total of around 100 graduates through intensive three-week pre-employment and work placement programmes specifically designed by employers in the process industries.
The move allows graduates time to explore their preferred career options within the industry sectors, which embrace everything from chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing to energy, oil and gas and biotechnology.
As part of the course, groups pay visits to industrial sites to see manufacturing operations at close quarters.
The first group visited the Wilton International site and toured the Sembcorp-owned biomass power station to understand more about the challenges of manufacturing sustainably produced electricity, vital to the environment and the UK economy.
The same group also visited Tees Components UK engineering operations at North Skelton.
SSDP course tutor Angus Watson said: “For some of these students this is the first time they will have seen the industrial application of the things they have learned about as undergraduates.”
Graduate mechanical engineer John Widdowson, 22, of Darlington, said: “Courses like this help bridge the gap between university and work and boost our employability.
“Visits to real production sites like Wilton provide a real insight into the world of engineering and science plus the career opportunities available through other graduate disciplines.”
SSDP was one of the first employer-led initiatives to receive public funding under the first round of the Government’s Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) fund in 2012.
EOP is designed to enable employers to design and procure more relevant and flexible training packages and Sembcorp took the lead on behalf of many process industry manufacturers in the area in gaining the £3.4m via EOP, a sum expected to be matched by employers.
SSDP also encompasses a six-month pre-apprenticeship for 16-18-year -olds not in employment, education or training.
Around 100 young people are in the process of moving from the pre-apprenticeship to a full three-year advanced apprenticeship leading to employment with firms in the process industries and their supply chains.
Applications from graduates onto the employment and work placement programme are currently being invited via http://ift.tt/1eOCgnj
No comments:
Post a Comment