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The University of Nottingham is working to help more talented young people get into the electronics industry.
The University has joined the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), established in 2010, which seeks to reverse a significant decline in the number of British electronic engineering degree students.
Students taking electrical and electronic engineering (EEE) at Nottingham will benefit from the UKESF’s simplified process of university liaison with employers. By adding formal links to the University, a growing number of companies will be able to reach its strong pool of talented undergraduates.
Industrial scholarships with work placements lie at the heart of the programme, allowing UKESF participating companies to reach out to the most talented EEE university students – and start their recruitment process earlier.
The UKESF programme also includes:
• professional development courses that develop non-academic business skills
• summer schools to attract A-level and Higher students to EEE degrees
• a project that introduces younger school students to electronic engineering as a potential career.
Fostering links
Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill, head of the University’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “The UKESF model has been carefully planned and by partnering with the organisation we can better tailor our courses to industry needs and foster links between our students and the UK’s most innovative technology firms at the same time.”
The UKESF has observed a 29.2 per cent drop in British EEE applicants between 2002 and 2012, with a 7.9 per cent drop between 2011 and 2012 coinciding with the introduction of higher university tuition fees. However, analysis of 2007 to 2012 UCAS data also shows an increased demand for vocational courses with the proportion of students applying to courses such as engineering, medicine and law rising and now standing at 37%.
Joining the UKESF demonstrates another step taken by the University of Nottingham in improving its already strong reputation of graduate employability, given that it has consistently been one of the top universities targeted by graduate employers. The University ranked second in the UK in a study released earlier this year.
Widening the talent pool
Indro Mukerjee, chairman of the UKESF strategic advisory board and CEO of Plastic Logic commented: “University outreach programmes have traditionally been the preserve of firms with larger budgets. The UKESF programme changes this by offering a formal liaison process to companies of all sizes. I am delighted that we have further widened the talent pool available to employers engaging through the UKESF, by bringing more universities on board.
“The integral role electronics plays in our society is well demonstrated by the wide range of employers requiring electronic engineering expertise. These companies will certainly benefit from the increased popularity of vocational courses, by getting involved in programmes that provide financial support and work experience to students undertaking EEE degrees.
"Moreover, by defining a clear route to rewarding employment as part of the programme, these companies will ultimately attract more talented graduates into our exciting industry.”
Nottingham joins the UKESF alongside the universities of Glasgow and Newcastle, joining the ranks of already established partners Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Imperial College, Manchester, Southampton, Surrey and York.
For more information on the UKESF programme visit www.ukesf.org/working-with-ukesf, or for information on scholarships visit http://www.ukesf.org/scholarship-scheme.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…