IET backs implantable prosthetic to stop epileptic seizures
1. Published by The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Issue 18 | Summer 2012
Published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology
n
Beijing students
side with safety
n
Implantable
prosthetic could stop
epileptic seizures
n
The IET backs the
world's largest
engineering prize
n
Power giant
stages university
challenge
2. Lead by example
Inspire the next generation
Shape the profession
F e l l o w s
www.theiet.org/fellows
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SCO38698).
The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2AY.
You’ll be the driving force for change within our organisation and act as the ‘go to’ source
of support and inspiration to colleagues who are striving to match your achievements.
We depend upon our Fellows to energise and inspire us. If you can fill that role,
apply for Fellowship at www.theiet.org/fellows today.
We are looking for exceptional people to become Fellows and to help us achieve even more
in the years ahead.
Fellowship will confer professional status, put you at the heart of IET policy and strategy and
introduce you to some of the most interesting and creative people in the profession.
4. MPs endorse scheme to tackle
UK technical skills shortage
The government’s skills
initiative offers technicians
an enhanced public profile,
professional recognition and
development, plus a new
national brand and website. This
is all aimed at helping employers
and individuals to deal with the
shortage of technical skills within
the UK.
This enhanced deal for
professional technicians
highlights their rapidly growing
importance to the UK economy.
UK plc will need almost a 50 per
cent increase in the number of
professional technicians over the
next eight years.
There are more than one
million skilled people currently
working as technicians across
all sectors – 450,000 new
professional technicians will be
needed by 2020. It is therefore
clear that there is a significant
demand for suitably skilled,
professional technicians in the
UK and that this nationwide
push is needed to attract, train
and recruit a growing workforce.
“We have launched this
scheme in order to show that
professional technicians are
essential to delivering growth in
the 21st Century and that they
are highly skilled individuals,”
says IET Chief Executive Nigel
Fine, who also sits on the
Technician Council.
“Responsible employers
can now demonstrate their
commitment by developing
professional technicians to
Government ministers Oliver Letwin and John Hayes have pledged their support for a renewed
commitment to improving the standing of technicians in the UK.
nationally recognised levels.
The IET warmly welcomes this
new initiative and we will do all
we can to support it.”
To help develop so many new
professional technicians, the
public and private sectors are
being urged to have existing
technicians register with a
professional body like the IET.
The plan is that enhanced
recognition, rewards and life-
long learning opportunities will
bring more young people onto
the professional technician
career path.
Above: IET President Dr Mike Short
CBE highlighting the importance of
technicians
4 Partner News | Summer 2012
news
5. Partner News | Summer 2012 5
Aresearch project to
develop a system that will
electronically detect and halt
epileptic seizures has got the
go-ahead following funding from
the IET as part of its A F Harvey
Engineering Research Prize.
The neuroscientist behind
the project, Professor Edward S
Boyden from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, has been
named as the inaugural recipient
of the prize. Worth £300,000,
it is awarded in recognition of
his outstanding contributions to
research in medical engineering.
Boyden proposes to create
an implantable prosthetic that
will detect electrical activity
associated with seizures and
Implantable prosthetic could stop epileptic seizures
then use light to rapidly drive or
silence key neurons, halting the
seizure.
It is hoped that the research
will identify a treatment that
will make specific neurons in
the brain sensitive to being
controlled by light, taking
advantage of optogenetic
modular technologies that have
already been developed. A
wirelessly powered implant and
controlled light source could be
triggered externally, enabling the
precise activation of silencing of
specific neurons.
“Prof Boyden’s outstanding
research into technologies that
enable the electrical activity
of brain cells to be controlled
by light, has opened up the
possibility of new kinds of
treatments for otherwise
untreatable brain disorders,”
says IET Chief Executive Nigel
news
There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the 50 million people worldwide who suffer from epilepsy.
Fine. “I am confident that the
funding will accelerate his work
and the results will be of great
use to medical science and
those who have epilepsy.”
IET Venues has proven that a
commitment to customers is a winning
formula for success. The group’s most
recent accolade was achieving one of the
highest scores in independent market
research consultancy BDRC Continental’s
UK VenueVerdict Awards.
Consisting of three award-winning
venues across the UK, the group has
locations in some of the UK’s biggest cities
– London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Flexible layout
With versatile meeting spaces equipped
with the latest state-of-the-art technology
and tiered lecture theatres, their flexible
layouts makes it possible to cater for every
type and size of event. Not only this, but
IET Venues is currently offering a 20 per
cent reduction on room hire (excluding the
Appleton Business Suite) at any of three
venues and an additional 25 per cent off
room hire on Mondays and Fridays for
Corporate and Academic Partners.
Each impressive venue combines a
wealth of history with modernity, the
largest of which has capacity for up to
500 delegates. Whether it be an AGM,
conducting a global video conference call
or live web streaming an awards gala,
each facility is able to cater for the evolving
technological needs of businesses and
guests, and new state-of-the-art video
conferencing facilities allow seamless
virtual events to take place.
Everything you need
With specialist teams committed to
attending to every detail, from AV and
catering to event coordination, the venues
offer a wide range of supplementary
services that often come at no extra charge.
The IET offers the best venues in town
For more information about any
of the IET Venues in London,
Glasgow or Birmingham please
call (0)207 344 5479 or visit
www.ietvenues.co.uk
6. 6 Partner News | Summer 2012
news
Anumber of key themes were
identified that were perceived
as barriers to STEM recruitment.
These included how to
encourage high calibre students
to enter STEM employment, how
to inspire pupils to follow STEM
careers and how industry can
be confident that universities
equip students with sufficient
STEM skills.
Issues discussed also included
the worrying fact that engineering
education is virtually non-existent
in schools, leading to a small
number of students going on
to study the subject at higher
education. Partners agreed that
to address this, better careers
advice and guidance about the
benefits of engineering should be
provided in schools.
The enormous increase in
technological developments
means there is a challenge for
universities to keep up with the
amount of material they need to
teach. Therefore, what should
and should not be taught is a
matter for urgent debate. This
discussion must also include
soft skills – important for
helping students to get through
sells excellence
says academics
and employers
assessment centres and job
interviews.
Universities are adapting
to the new landscape but
this shift cannot happen in
isolation. Attendees agreed
that partnerships with industry
were essential to provide advice
and mentoring to students and
to help provide high-quality
placements.
Following the meeting, the IET
recommended a range of actions
be considered by industry and
academia such as inviting key
influencers including teachers
into workplaces to see what
modern engineering involves,
as well as better liaising between
higher education institutions
and industry.
It also advised on launching
a marketing campaign to
advertise the benefits of
doing an engineering degree,
remuneration and job prospects.
The IET will help kick start this
process by working with industry
and academic representatives
to create a matrix of what is
currently offered on engineering
courses and identify gaps that
industry requires.
The IET has welcomed
the new Queen Elizabeth
Prize for Engineering. The
engineering award, the world’s
largest at £1million, invites
nominations from across the
globe, celebrating the greatest
engineering feats that benefit
humankind.
“I consider this to be the
equivalent of the Nobel Prize
which helped to put scientists
and their work on the map,”
says Dr Mike Short CBE, IET
President. “This initiative is
also a great opportunity to
say that there is an exciting
and meaningful range of roles
for engineers, whether it’s
space engineering or medical
engineering and everything in
between.
“The Queen Elizabeth
Prize for Engineering goes
a long way to rewarding
and highlighting not just the
amazing and vital advances
that are being achieved, but
also how our society depends
upon it.”
“An award such as
the Queen Elizabeth
Prize for Engineering is
a very important way of
acknowledging and rewarding
those who have created
real outstanding benefits to
humankind. In the UK, the
Prize will also entice and
enthuse a new generation
of men and women into the
wide variety of engineering
roles that provide rewarding
careers for many – and which
is vital to the robust health
of our economy,” IET Chief
Executive Nigel Fine adds.
For more information on
the Queen Elizabeth Prize
and to nominate visit:
www.qeprize.org
STEM
This February Corporate and Academic Partners came
together to discuss the importance of STEM degrees
meeting the needs of employers.
IET backs the
world’s largest
engineering prize
7. Partner News | Summer 2012 7
Report by Intellect’s
Emma Fryer and IET
Head of Registration
and Standards
Mike Bridgefoot.
Data centres have seen
rapid growth and become
increasingly important to UK
businesses in recent years and
this trend is set to continue, both
here and around the world. The
industry has grown so rapidly
that many data centre managers
are now looking for frameworks
and benchmarks to ensure
they have the right skills and
competences in place to operate
at maximum efficiency.
Early in 2011 Intellect
contacted the IET to collaborate
on raising professionalism
within the industry. Currently,
many data centres recruit
Improving professionalism in the data centre sector
predominantly on recognised
vendor certification and less
often on academic qualification.
However, the Intellect Data
Centre Council wanted to explore
options to drive professionalism
within the data centre using the
Engineering Council’s existing
professional qualifications CEng,
IEng, EngTech and ICTTech.
Model approach
Over the summer of 2011, the
partnership explored how these
professional qualifications could
benefit those working within
the industry. A key task was to
align the Engineering Council’s
UK Standards for Professional
Engineering Competence
(UK-SPEC) framework to
the Skills Framework for
the Information Age (SFIA)
framework and then to the
job descriptions/tasks of those
working in data centres.
The IET developed a
competence model that could be
used specifically for data centres.
The purpose of this project
was to allow those working in
the sector to identify how the
responsibilities, competences
and roles that they were familiar
with, mapped onto formal skills
frameworks and professional
standards.
Testing the pilot
The project is currently at the
pilot stage and the competence
model is being tested by a group
of more than 20 individuals from
five organisations covering all
four of the qualification levels.
The IET provides technical
support on a one to one basis
with each individual to help map
their own job description and CV
experience from previous jobs
to the correct competence level
using the interactive model.
news
Each nominee in the pilot group
is sponsored by their employer.
IET objectives
A key objective for the IET is
to develop relationships with
alliance partners and a range of
commercial organisations.
“The IET is the professional
home for a wide range of
engineers and technicians and
we welcome the opportunity to
raise professionalism through
registration in this critical
sector,” highlights the IET’s
Director of Membership and
Professional Development
Michelle Richmond.
The IET is committed to the
information and communication
sector and this work shows its
range from providing support
for building services and
facilities activities to the latest
networking and communications
equipment.
The IET is working with Intellect to promote professional registration to the data centre sector
8. Above: Students engaging with
engineering during a Faraday
Challenge Day
8 Partner News | Summer 2012
news
The IET Education for Schools
and Colleges programme has
many facets including Flipside
magazine, support for members’
activities and collaboration with
teacher training and STEM
activity providers. All these
help teachers and students
better understand the roles of
engineers and technicians and
encourage students to stay with
the STEM subjects at school.
The core of the programme
is IET Faraday, which offers a
range of student engagement
activities and teaching resources
free of charge. There are many
opportunities for partners to
increase the profile of their
organisation with schools and to
promote engineering careers by
sponsoring the following events
and resources.
The IET Faraday Challenge
competition is an in-school event
where teams of students, aged
12-13, compete in a day-long
engineering challenge to devise,
build and test a solution to an
engineering problem. Each year
the IET delivers 45 Faraday
Challenge Days in schools
across the UK, plus another 12
at the university campuses of
IET Academic Partners.
The national final for the
2011/12 season is taking place
in IET London’s Riverside Room
on 22 June, with the three top
teams competing for a cash
prize for their school.
Think out of the box
Past Faraday Challenge Day
competitions have been
converted into teaching aids to
enable education professionals
and STEM ambassadors to
IET goes back to school with
Faraday Challenge
deliver the events for themselves
as off-timetable STEM activity
days. A number of these
Faraday Challenge Days in a Box
kits will be given out to schools,
free of charge. The instructions,
examples and material lists will
also be made available on the
IET Faraday website. These will
be available from September
2012.
Online resource
www.ietfaraday.org is a
comprehensive website of
teaching resources which
showcases the different roles
that engineering plays in the
development of new products
and processes around the globe.
The website includes a host
of video profiles of engineers
and accompanying lesson
activities that are linked to the
science, maths and design and
technology curricula.
The materials are also accessible
to STEM teachers worldwide.
STEM ambassadors
Partners can also engage directly
with students and teachers by
providing STEM ambassadors.
Engineering role models are
needed to assist with the delivery
of the Challenge Days at each of
the in-school events.
If STEM ambassadors are
already linked to schools they
can work alongside the teachers
to run an off-timetable STEM
activity day using the Faraday
Challenge Days in a Box.
If you would like to explore
supporting the IET Faraday
programme further please
contact Dee Halil
dhalil@theiet.org
9. Partner News | Summer 2012 9
Companies often tell us it
is difficult to attract the
right calibre of graduates.
Attending recruitment fairs and
engaging with universities is, in
some cases, not attracting the
necessary numbers. Though
university degrees are still
highly regarded, the increase in
fees poses the added issue of
potentially falling numbers.
Forward-looking organisations
are now recruiting apprentices
and technicians who have the
qualifications for university
but are put off by the costs.
Fast-tracked through the
standard technician training
and supported to further their
academic knowledge via work-
based and formal learning, they
will be available to help fill the
anticipated shortfall in future
graduate intake and progress to
Incorporated or Chartered level
of registration.
Over 130 schemes in the
UK and overseas are currently
accredited by the IET.
An accredited professional
development scheme that
provides a quality assured route
to professional registration
can support the recruitment
of graduates, technicians and
apprentices, as well as engineers
Attracting graduates
and apprentices using
who wish to use their skills and
knowledge to gain professional
recognition.
Jamie-Leigh Clayton joined
Westinghouse Rail Systems (now
Invensys Rail) on a three-year
apprenticeship scheme, part of
its IET Accredited Engineering
Talent Programme. She was the
first Invensys apprentice to be
awarded EngTech in April 2011
and has gone on to win a Special
Merit Prize at the IET Young
news
Jamie-Leigh Clayton with Myleene Klass, host of the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2011
Entries are now open
for the 2012 IET Young
Woman Engineer of the
Year Awards. Please
visit www.theiet.org/ywe
for more information -
deadline for submission is
30 July 2012.
Report by Nathalie Cameron, IET Professional Development Accreditation Advisor.
Woman Engineer of the Year
Awards 2011.
“By accrediting your scheme
you will be offering (candidates)
a quality assured pathway to
professional registration and
the opportunity to build the
skill set required to become
one of your senior engineers
and future leaders,” says
Michelle Richmond, Director of
Membership and Professional
Development.
accreditation
10. 10 Partner News | Summer 2012
news
The IET has developed an
online professional networking
and collaboration platform,
MyCommunity, to enable
people to connect, interact and
exchange knowledge globally.
What do you get?
The new platform enables
you to:
n manage a personal profile
n join and form communities
n connect with peers
n use DocCreate to co-author
documents
n upload content e.g.
documents, videos
n start and participate in
discussions
n add and comment on events
n ask questions
n exchange information
n rate and comment on content.
What are the benefits?
MyCommunity will enable you to
put yourself at the heart of your
community where you can share
documents, videos and web
content including Twitter feeds
and YouTube videos.
You will benefit from instant
connection with your community,
networking and engaging in
conversations with fellow peers.
By managing an online profile
you will be able to engage with
your community and raise your
professional profile.
The DocCreate tool, not
available on any other social
networking site, provides a
secure environment for you to
co-author documents and on
completion you can publish
them in a variety of formats to
the rest of the community.
“I am delighted by
the progress made with
MyCommunity though there is a
lot of development work still to
Access MyCommunity
n Visit www.theiet.org/
mycommunity1
n Log in using the black
tab at the top right of
your screen
n Use your IET website
details to log into
MyCommunity
n If you do not have an
IET website account,
visit www.theiet.org
to register
Connecting engineers, forming communities
do,” says Steve Perry, Head of
Sectors and Communities at the
IET. “Aside from our USP with
DocCreate, on MyCommunity
people can draw content and
supporting widgets from social
networking sites and feed
content out of MyCommunity
to others such as Twitter. It is a
truly collaborative platform.”
Connecting with your peers
We invite you to join
MyCommunity. You may wish
to join existing communities
that have already been set
up such as the technical,
geographical and special interest
communities, or you can request
to set up new ones.
We welcome any feedback
you have to help with the
ongoing development of the
platform. Email your comments
to mycommunity@theiet.org
11. Partner News | Summer 2012 11
Fish flounder in the face of Chinese innovation
Students from China’s Jiliang
University (CJLU) took first
place at the third National
Undergraduate Mechanical
Innovation Design Competition
(3UMIC).
One of the top mechanical
design competitions in China,
the students won with their
Automatic Fish Killing Machine.
The device has been designed
to lighten fish sellers’ workloads
by automatically removing fish
scales, cleaning and cutting the
fish ready for retail.
“This machine can decrease
the fish sellers’ manual labour
greatly and being involved in
this competition has really given
us drive to study and research
academic
A group of Birmingham
A level pupils recently returned
from a prize trip to China.
The five teenagers, from the Tudor Grange
Academy in Solihull, were awarded
the prize for the best business concept in
this year’s Academy Excellence Awards,
sponsored by the University of Nottingham,
after coming up with the idea for putting a
biogas digester in every British garden.
The plan would transform waste from
the garden and home into gas that can be
burnt for electricity. The team clinched the
award after illustrating the concept with an
experiment in front of the judges.
Their prize was a week at The University
of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC),
south of Shanghai, with sight-seeing
excursions that included a trip to the
Forbidden City.
Lee Gray, the group’s teacher, said that
it had been fascinating to see students
from around the world receiving a British
education in China.
“What has amazed me is that students at
UNNC get the same level of opportunity as
students at The University in Nottingham
Students digest biogas in the garden
CJLU students with their mechanical design awards
further,” the students say.
CJLU students are renowned
for walking away with prizes
from these sorts of competitions
having designed award-winning
machines in the past. The
university encourages them to
be competitive in support of the
Chinese government’s recently
published National medium and
long-term educational reform
and development plan, helping
them to innovate and give back
to society.
All the students apply for
patents for the machines they
develop; more than a hundred
are applied for each year. Many
have even been sold on before
students graduate.
in terms of certain courses - and they
get even more opportunities in terms of
life experience. The opportunity to learn
Mandarin and work in a different cultural
environment, as well as developing links
within a global setting is invaluable to
students,” he says.
“This trip gave some UK students the
opportunity to get a taste for the other study
opportunities available to them. In this
globalised world, it is possible to do your
entire degree programme in English and
graduate with a Nottingham UK degree
from China,” adds Professor Gethin Wyn
Roberts, Dean of the Faculty of Science and
Engineering and coordinator of the prize.
“Students here have the added
advantage of gaining invaluable experience
in understanding how other cultures work.
Studying in China gives students something
extra for their CV. It shows potential
employers that they are adventurous, open-
minded and have international insights
that are essential for success in today’s
interconnected world.”
Professor Roberts says that the university
has plans to expand its international
outreach activities, giving other UK-based
A level pupils similar opportunities to visit
the Ningbo campus.
The A level students on their prize trip in China
12. 12 Partner News | Summer 2012
Five students from the Beijing
University of Posts and
Telecommunications (BUPT)
have developed a system to help
BUPT students SIDE with safety
people manage fire evacuations
more safely.
An evacuation can be a
highly stressful situation, there
can be lots of issues related
to getting people safely out of
a building when a fire alarm
goes off, not least people
panicking. Furthermore, alarms
don’t generally give detailed
information about where and
at what stage the fire is at, so
those in charge must often make
decisions, not fully aware of the
risks.
There has been previous work
on developing an app for mobile
devices to help with evacuations,
however mobile phone screen
sizes were found to be too
small to guide people with clear
directions and some devices
were incapable of showing a
academic
China's rapid economic growth is leading
to an increasing demand for energy.
As a result, UHV power transmission lines
have been widely developed in China in
order to transmit electricity more efficiently
Tsinghua research surges ahead
The students behind the SIDES project
map. It was also noted that
walking and watching a screen
was not the safest behaviour.
In response to this, the BUPT
students developed SIDES
(Scalable Intelligent Distributed
Emergency System). Built on
the Zigbee network, SIDES is
intelligent enough to be able
to detect information about
the fire – such as flame points,
hazardous paths and crowd
density – and dynamically
generate the best evacuation
strategy, giving directions using
sound and light.
It is also capable of adjusting
the strategy according to the
spread of the fire.
from energy bases in western China to load
centres in the east. However, the problem
of over-voltages has become a
big challenge.
A group at Tsinghua University, led
by Professor He, has been researching
this issue. Accurate models for analysing
over-voltages have been researched
based on experiment results where the
physical mechanism of lightning fractal
geometry was revealed by measuring its
developmental process.
Based on the optical and electrical
phenomena during the discharging
process of long air gaps, the main physical
characteristics of downward leaders,
flow injections and upward leaders were
gained. Then, the model of lightning leader
development was proposed to simulate the
process when the lightning struck the UHV
transmission lines.
A full-wave electromagnetic transient
analysis method was also built, which
included accurate models of towers,
grounding devices and impulse corona.
From this work, methods to largely limit
the over-voltages have been suggested,
as well as requirements for the arresters’
parameters. The metal oxide arresters
(MOA) based on ZnO varistors are
especially important for protection against
over-voltages. The insulation level of
the power equipment mainly depends
on the protection property of the MOA.
If the residual voltage ratio of the MOA
becomes lower, the insulation level of the
power equipment can also be reduced,
which would result in smaller size,
lower manufacturing difficulty and cost
reduction.
By decreasing the ZnO grains’ resistivity,
samples with a low residual voltage ratio
were developed. The MOA based on
this type of ZnO varistors would have
remarkable technical and economic
values, and spark another reform of
insulation coordination in power systems.
If you’d like to find out more about
the group’s work, please contact
hejl@tsinghua.edu.cn
13. Partner News | Summer 2012 13
academic
Ningxia students
introduced to IET
member benefits
The IET’s presence in China
is growing and students
at Ningxia University are
discovering the benefits of IET
membership.
Surrounded by three
deserts, the Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region, located
in the northwest of China,
is a typical undeveloped
area of the country. Tough
geography has made life hard
for residents with roughly 16
per cent of the population
living in poverty. Ningxia
University has been working
hard to give its students
better opportunities through
high-class education and
building ties with professional
institutions. It recently
became an IET Affiliate and
held an event to introduce
students to what the IET could
offer them.
Students were shown the
different ways the IET can
give them access to the latest
academic news and literature,
helping broaden their
knowledge.
The newly created
Ningxia Network is also
hoping to develop separate
branches with a focus on
teachers, postgraduates,
student innovation and
undergraduates, and students
have already come forward to
volunteer for roles.
“It’s the first time I’ve
heard about the IET and
now I know where I can find
international academic papers
and journals, something I
couldn’t get in the past,” says
one Ningxia student. “Now I
know that the IET can provide
me with more resources, I can
improve my studies and begin
to make some career plans.”
“We want you to express
your ideas and suggest how
the affiliation should evolve,”
Professor Li Xinwan, the chair
of the Ningxia Network told
student members. “I hope all
the members here will make
the most of the resources the
IET is offering us.”
Ningxia students discover IET membership benefits
Amity University is the first
Indian university to receive
IET accreditation for its B.Tech
programmes and become an IET
Academic Partner.
“We are delighted to earn
prestigious IET accreditation,
which demonstrates Amity’s
adherence to global standards in
curriculum, teaching pedagogy,
contemporary infrastructure and
cutting edge research,” says
Dr Ashok Chauhan, Founder
President, Amity Universities.
“We are also proud to partner
with a global professional
organisation of the IET’s stature.
It reinforces Amity’s mission that
every student becomes a success
story, while demonstrating an
excellent alignment with the
university’s guiding principle to
prepare our youth to face modern
day challenges and become
useful citizens,” Dr Ashok adds.
Amity is a leading education
provider in India with more
than 4,000 faculty and 85,000
students studying in various
India’s first
Academic
Partner
announced
disciplines at undergraduate
and post-doctoral levels. With
internationalisation as its goal,
Amity has also set up campuses
in the US, UK, Singapore, Dubai,
Romania and Mauritius.
“We congratulate Amity,” says
Shekhar Sanyal, Country Head,
IET India. “As a result of this
partnership, B.Tech students
of Amity University, Noida and
Lucknow campuses will enjoy
the advantage of registering
themselves as Incorporated
Engineers (IEng). It will also give
them a platform to join a network
of professional engineers and
enhance their career prospects
across the globe.”
Amity is focused on
strengthening its relationship with
industry. As an IET Academic
Partner, it will get a boost in this
direction through invitations
to partner events, enriching
technical visits to industrial
facilities and having leading
speakers from industry visit its
campuses.
14. 14 Partner News | Summer 2012
academic
Researchers at the University
of Hertfordshire have started
work on a new smart laboratory.
Hosting the latest engineering
and digital technology to train
future students, it will open on
the College Lane campus in
late Autumn 2012.
Johann Siau, the developer of
the university's Intelligent Home,
is working with a team to create
a laboratory to house smart
sensors, smart devices, gesture
and brain sensors and a whole
host of engineering and digital
technology.
The laboratory will make
it possible to perform tasks
using mobile devices, gesture
recognition and brain waves to
control aspects of a person's
home, monitor domestic energy
usage, communicate between
home and car and have
vehicle-to-vehicle
communication so that early
warning systems and accident
reconstruction technologies can
be researched and developed.
“The smart laboratory
provides opportunities for
students and companies to
showcase their projects and
products,” says Siau. “We will
use it to train a new breed of
engineers and students in the
area of smart and converging
technologies.”
The university is currently
commissioning the work for
the facility and there are
opportunities for businesses
to get involved and showcase
their technology. The project
is already supported by
the Building Research
Establishment, Samsung and
Microsoft, together with research
partners at the Centre for Energy,
Environment and Sustainability
(CEES) at University of Sheffield.
Any organisations interested
in discussing this further should
contact Johann Siau at
j.siau@herts.ac.uk
Get in lane
for smart new
laboratory
A video walkthrough of the
facility can be accessed at
go.herts.ac.uk/smartlab
His Royal Highness Prince
Andrew, Duke of York,
opened the 2012 Engineering
and Technology Careers Fair,
organised by ECS (Electronics
and Computer Science) for the
Faculty of Physical and Applied
Sciences at the University of
Southampton.
The Duke toured the fair,
speaking to many of the
companies present, finding out
how they work with ECS and
other university departments,
and learning about the skills
they are seeking from top-level
university graduates.
He was keen to explore
the technologies on display,
from the touch screen
technology developed by Atmel
Technologies to the optical fibre
lasers of SPI Lasers. He was
particularly interested in the
flight simulation display on the
Snowflake Software stand.
Prince Andrew was especially
keen to discuss how universities
and businesses together
are contributing to the UK’s
economic recovery through
innovation in engineering and
technology.
“It is a great pleasure to
join you at the University of
Southampton, which is globally
renowned and a university of
which the United Kingdom
is extremely proud,” he said.
“The fact that the careers fair
has grown to the size it is today
– and is actually bursting at
the seams – is a sign of how
important this university is and
how keen businesses are to
come here and attract students
to work for them.”
The Duke of York then
led a roundtable discussion
on entrepreneurship and
employability with students and
graduates as well as university
staff. The visit concluded with a
tour of the research facilities in
the Mountbatten Building, where
he was able to learn about the
Next Generation Internet Project
led by the Optoelectronics
Research Centre, and
the graphene transistor
developed in the Southampton
Nanofabrication Centre.
A royal
engagement
Prince Andrew at the 2012 Engineering and Technology Careers Fair
15. Partner News | Summer 2012 15
academic
Imperial College students
to spend six months in industry
The enhancement of the
student experience,
ensuring employability and the
development of transferable
skills, has been the driving force
behind this programme, which
will build on a rigorous academic
and technical education. Not
only will it provide hands-on
experience, but also insight into
the industrial and commercial
challenges of business.
Imperial College's six-month
scheme, which will run from
April to September, provides
a focus for a programme of
professional training and
development embedded
throughout the degree courses.
The response from
industry has been more than
encouraging. For companies, the
placement programme offers an
opportunity to inspire and invest
in electrical engineers of the
future.
It is also an effective vehicle
for companies to recruit top-level
graduates and to explore ideas
beyond the day-to-day business.
The aim of the programme is for
every student to experience a
period of working in industry.
For those not wishing to
follow this path there will be
an alternative industrial-led,
nine-week, full-time intensive
group project which will run
during the summer term.
Imperial students will now be able to start an industrial experience programme fully integrated into
their four-year electrical engineering MEng degrees.
Imperial's Department
of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
is keen to connect with
companies able to offer
six-month placements
for its students. Those
interested should
contact Clare Drysdale
at c.drysdale@
imperial.ac.uk
Liverpool students engage with engineering
IET Faraday Challenge Days provide
teams of 12-13 year-olds with the
chance to solve real-life engineering
problems by putting their studies to the
test. The aim is to inspire children to
continue their studies in STEM subjects
and progress to a career in engineering or
a related area.
Thirty-six year 8 students from local
schools spent the day in a university
environment, from the lecture theatre
to the laboratory; a real eye-opening
experience highlighting the differences
between school and further education.
They brought with them a buzz of
energy and enthusiasm as they competed
in teams of six to win the prize at the end
of the day and the chance to go onto the
London final.
Inspirational challenge
This year’s challenge is inspired by the
London 2012 Olympics. For the students
involved it was an opportunity to design a
solution to a problem and work together as
a team. Maths calculations and problem-
based learning came to life. The creativity of
students was tested as various approaches
to the problem posed were evaluated by
each group before a final direction was
chosen. They didn’t even realise they were
learning, according to the organisers.
For the university it was a great
opportunity to inspire students at a young
age and broaden their aspirations. Some
students considered the possibility of
university for the first time, for others it
demonstrated to them what engineering
is and how it can be an enjoyable and
rewarding career.
Year 8 students at Liverpool's Faraday Challenge Day
16. 16 Partner News | Summer 2012
academic
Researchers at the University
of Hertfordshire have started
work on a new smart laboratory
to host the latest engineering
and digital technology to train
future students, which will open
on the College Lane campus in
late Autumn.
Johann Siau, the developer of
the university's Intelligent Home,
is working with a team to create
a laboratory to house smart
sensors, smart devices, gesture
and brain sensors and a whole
host of engineering and digital
technology.
The laboratory will make it
possible to perform tasks using
various mobile devices, gesture
recognition and brain waves to
control devices of a person's
home, monitor home energy
usage, communicate between
home and car and have
vehicle-to-vehicle
communication so that early
warning systems and accident
reconstruction technologies can
be researched and developed.
"The smart laboratory
provides opportunities for
students and companies to
showcase their projects and
products," says Siau. "We will
use it to train a new breed of
engineers and students in the
area of smart and converging
technologies."
The university is currently
commissioning the work for
the facility and there are
opportunities for businesses
to get involved and showcase
their technology. The project
is already supported by
the Building Research
Establishment, Samsung and
Microsoft, together with research
partners at the Centre for Energy,
Environment and Sustainability
(CEES) at University of Sheffield.
Any organisations interested in
discussing this further should
contact Johann Siau at
j.siau@herts.ac.uk.
Get in lane
for smart new
laboratory
A video walkthrough of the
facility can be accessed at
go.herts.ac.uk/smartlab
His Royal Highness Prince
Andrew, Duke of York,
opened the 2012 Engineering
and Technology Careers Fair,
organised by ECS-Electronics
and Computer Science for the
Faculty of Physical and Applied
Sciences at the University of
Southampton.
The Duke toured the fair,
speaking to many of the
companies present, finding out
how they work with ECS and
other university departments,
and learning more about the
skills they are seeking from top
level university graduates.
He was keen to explore
the technologies on display,
from the touch screen
technology developed by Atmel
Technologies to the optical
fibre-lasers of SPI Lasers. He
was particularly interested in the
flight simulation display on the
Snowflake Software stand.
Prince Andrew was
particularly keen to discuss how
universities and businesses
together are contributing to the
UK’s economic recovery through
innovation in engineering and
technology.
“It is a great pleasure to
join you at the University of
Southampton, which is globally
renowned and a university of
which the United Kingdom
is extremely proud,” he said.
“The fact that the careers
fair has grown to the size it is
today – and is actually bursting
at the seams - is a sign of how
important this university is and
how keen businesses are to
come here and attract students
to work for them.”
The Duke of York then
led a roundtable discussion
on entrepreneurship and
employability with students and
graduates as well as university
staff. The visit concluded with a
tour of the research facilities in
the Mountbatten Building, where
he was able to learn about the
Next Generation Internet Project
led by the Optoelectronics
Research Centre, and
the graphene transistor
developed in the Southampton
Nanofabrication Centre.
A royal
engagement
Prince Andrew at the 2012 Engineering and Technology Careers Fair
www.theiet.org/academic-partners
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698),
Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom.
Correct at the time of going to print June 2012
17. Partner News | Summer 2012 17
academic
Aresource to estimate the
impact that greater use of
electric vehicles will have on
the national grid has been
developed by a team of experts at
Northumbria University.
Dr Ghanim Putrus, from the
university’s School of Computing,
Engineering and Information
Sciences led the project to create
an easy-to-use tool that allows
policy makers to predict and
prepare for the increased use of
electric cars and how it will affect
the power network.
The development of the
new grid capacity calculator
was a collaboration involving
Northumbria University and
the Charge your Car project, a
government programme that is
currently installing electric vehicle
charging points across North East
England.
The region has been
highlighted as the UK’s first
designated low carbon economic
area (LCEA) and there are plans
to create a local infrastructure to
support electric vehicles. These
measures are likely to encourage
more people to buy electric cars,
therefore careful planning is
necessary to minimise the added
pressure on the grid.
The impact on the electrical
distribution network will be more
complex and difficult to analyse
when the increased use of
electric vehicles is combined with
the expected increase in other
technologies designed to reduce
carbon output, such as micro-
generators and heat pumps.
“The resource will help policy-
makers, developers and network
operators to analyse the impact of
electric vehicles in the presence
of micro generators and other low
carbon technologies. It will help
to improve energy efficiency and
How much power will electric cars draw from the grid?
reduce carbon emissions. It will
help to build the infrastructure
around electric cars and can
be used inside and outside the
region, as well as in international
contexts,” says Dr Putrus. “Any
electricity usage scenario can
be tested using this tool, giving
a picture of what can happen to
existing grid infrastructure and
helping to plan future power
networks or smart grids.”
The team is currently
discussing a follow-up project
that will develop a tool to allow
analysis of smart charging of
electric vehicles.
Dr Ghanim Putrus, leader of the grid capacity calculator project
Heavy goods vehicles are synonymous
with high fuel consumption, but
through a knowledge transfer partnership
between Manchester Metropolitan
University and The Cartwright Group,
aerodynamic principles are being
employed in modern trailer design to
improve fuel consumption and boost sales.
Using wind tunnel testing, computer
simulation and high-end visualisation
techniques as well as allowing a trailer
manufacturer extensive access to the
analytical capabilities of computational
fluid dynamics (CFD), the project aims
not only to develop more fuel-efficient
design concepts, but also produce media
that displays aerodynamic effects in a way
understandable to non-specialists.
The Cartwright Group identified the
relative inaccessibility of CFD for marketing
purposes as an issue. This was rectified
through the use of visualisation software
more commonly used in the creative
arts industry to not only simulate airflow
alongside the numerous CFD suites, but
create a virtual wind tunnel that produces
still images and animations of airflow that
are more accessible to their customers.
The first product generated, the
Cheetah Fastback, has enjoyed acclaim
by maintaining the operational capabilities
expected of a HGV trailer, while achieving
fuel efficiency savings of up to 12 per
cent. It is through developments like
these that large efficiency savings can be
made, lowering the carbon footprint of
HGV operators, and helping cushion the
impact of increasing fuel prices on UK
businesses.
Virtual wind tunnel aids low-carbon HGV design
18. 18 Partner News | Summer 2012
academic
Bio-sensing is a challenging,
multi-disciplinary field
requiring the skills of bio-
chemists and physicists as
well as electronic engineers,
technologists and computer
scientists. Research and
development in bio-sensing is
a rapidly expanding field that
can be applied to a diverse
range of areas including
medical diagnostics,
environmental monitoring,
biotechnology, food,
agriculture and security.
The breadth of expertise
needed can make it difficult
for companies to navigate
their way to success, however
the Institute of Bio-Sensing
Technology (IBST) is uniquely
placed to help companies
make the most of their
technologies and get ahead.
Based at the University of
the West of England (UWE),
it integrates a broad range
of expertise from academia
and industry to provide a
focus for the development
of bio-sensing technologies.
It has instigated a number
of initiatives which include
developing projects with
industrial partners, providing
a technology profiling service
for companies, hosting an
international conference in
collaboration with Elsevier
and developing a Masters
by Research in Bio-Sensing
technology.
The UWE academics
provide a strong skill base
for the multidisciplinary
approach required and have
worked successfully with
industry to develop new
technology. For example,
Professor John Hart, an
internationally recognised
expert in electrochemistry,
has worked alongside
Uniscan Instruments to
produce new devices such
as a rapid measurement
system to protect food
supplies from accidental or
deliberate contamination with
organophosphates.
Professor Janice Kiely and
Professor Richard Luxton
have worked with Clarity
Biosolutions and Sarum
Biosciences to develop
devices for rapid detection of
bacteria combining magnetic
detection with immune-
assays and new, contact free
capacitance measurements
of living cells for the early
detection of toxicity, which
can be used to accelerate
drug discovery.
Find out more at
www.biosensingtech.co.uk or
email ibst@uwe.ac.uk
UWE leads the way
in bio-sensing technology
One of the products designed is an optical Theremin
At Aston University’s
School of Engineering two
initiatives have been devised
to support the development of
entrepreneurial skills through
real-life experience.
In computer science, a
student company, Aston
Active Software Engineering
(AASE), has been formed and
undergraduates are developing
commercial software systems,
which are sold both internally
and to external companies.
The company has developed
a system that organises key
teaching information and it
is now in talks with another
university to supply the software
as a hosted service. It is also
working with a local SME to
develop an online version of that
company’s consultancy service.
Some of the students working for
the company have been bitten
by the entrepreneurship bug
and are now looking to establish
their own company once they
graduate.
Similar developments have
also been made in electronic
engineering. First year students
are set a team challenge of
designing an electronic product,
which can be sold commercially.
The idea may come from an
external customer or from the
students. The progress made
by the students has been
exceptional, with two products
recently demonstrated at the Big
Bang exhibition.
These two schemes not
only give students relevant
experience but also encourage
and enable them to understand
the complexities of product
development in a commercial
environment. Importantly,
the initiative also allows them
to understand how they can
capitalise on their skills and put
them to rewarding use in the
future.
Paramagnetic particles
Developing an
entrepreneurial
spirit at Aston
19. Partner News | Summer 2012 19
academic
The University of Essex’s annual
careers and recruitment event,
Options, is growing fast with
more employers and students
attending than ever before. More
than 1,200 students networked
with exhibitors throughout the
day, up 40 per cent on the
previous year as students realise
the importance of thoroughly
researching the jobs market.
A wide range of businesses
and organisations took stands
at the last event including
Santander, Deloitte, BT, the
British Army, the Royal Navy and
the RAF.
The university hopes to build
on last year’s success, so,
whether you are a regular visitor,
haven’t been at Options for a
while or have never had the
opportunity to come to the event,
this is your chance to discover
what the university’s diverse
undergraduate and postgraduate
population has to offer.
Options 2012 will be held
on 29 October from 11am to
3pm, so consider coming to
promote your organisation and
any internship and graduate
vacancies you want to fill for
2013.
The university is looking
for expressions of interest at
this stage and this year has
introduced a substantial discount
rate on early bookings, but
places are limited.
The University of Essex Options fair 2012
Promote your business and your graduate opportunities to Essex students.
To reserve your place and
get further information
please contact Louise
Purser on 01206 872494
or lpurser@essex.ac.uk
Although Alan Milburn’s most recent
progress report on access to the
professions focused on law, medicine and
the media, it is clear that all professions
have more work to do in relation to
improving work experience opportunities.
The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF),
a charity that helps high-achieving young
people from low-income backgrounds,
has found that the message about career
opportunities in engineering and science
has got through to schools and has a
growing number of young people wanting
to pursue careers in those areas. This
interest means it needs more companies
to come forward and offer placements.
The young people the SMF works with
have at least five A grades at GCSE and are
predicted to achieve ABB or higher at A
level and the charity supports them through
mentoring, university application support,
skills development and work experience.
Unfortunately it finds getting one to two
week work experience placements in the
engineering profession the most difficult
to obtain and frequently ends up having
to place students with professional service
firms that recruit from STEM subjects
instead.
Whilst the young people enjoy these
experiences, it does mean that the
profession is currently losing highly talented,
would-be engineers from under-represented
backgrounds to other disciplines.
Do you think your organisation may
be able to help? The SMF is looking for
work placements for sixth formers during
the summer and October half term. Most
placements are one to two weeks and are
unpaid, although reimbursing travel costs
is encouraged and the majority of young
people are in the London area.
Nurturing future engineers
The SMF is looking for engineering firms to take on eager work experience students this summer and autumn.
If you think you are able to offer work
experience or would like to know
more, please contact fiona.mccourt@
socialmobility.org.uk or see
www.socialmobility.org.uk.
20. 20 Partner News | Summer 2012
business
The North London Reinforcement Project
Mott MacDonald has come
together with National Grid,
Alstom Grid and Skanska to
create the South East Electricity
Substation Alliance (SEESA),
which is working to secure
London’s future electricity
supplies.
As the generation mix in
the south east of England
changes over the next decade,
substantial investment in the
existing electricity transmission
system is required to ensure
future network reliability. This
will be achieved by increasing
connection capacity at existing
sites to ensure that new energy
sources can supply the power
demand of London.
Securing power
for London
To find out more about
Mott MacDonald’s work
please email power.info@
mottmac.com
The North London
Reinforcement Project
One such scheme is the North
London Reinforcement Project,
requiring a series of upgrades to
an existing overhead line route
that runs from Waltham Cross
Substation in Epping Forest to
Hackney Substation in London.
The existing transmission is at
275 kV, which will be upgraded
to 400 kV, increasing power
transmission capacity across
London.
Mott MacDonald has
produced the initial designs
for the upgrade of the existing
switchgear at Hackney
Substation. The existing 275
kV circuit has air insulated
switchgear technology. Installing
air insulated switchgear for
the 400 kV upgrade would
require a significant increase
in the existing substation
footprint within a residential and
recreational area.
Solving the issue of
footprint expansion
The company has developed
an alternative design using
gas-insulated switchgear (GIS)
that allows the circuits to be
upgraded without extending the
existing site. This design is being
adopted by National Grid, and
the North London Reinforcement
Project is due for completion in
2016.
Mott MacDonald is developing
similar gas-insulated switchgear
designs across substations in
London and the south east
to allow more circuits with a
greater transmission capacity
to be connected within existing
substation footprints. In this
way future power delivery is
being secured for consumers
whilst minimising impact on
the surrounding area and
communities.
Electrical Engineer Fay Lelliott reports on how an alliance of engineering organisations
is securing London’s future electricity supply.
21. Partner News | Summer 2012 21
business
Despite the tough economic
climate and various
operations moving abroad, the
UK automotive industry can
be revived but it will need to
be combined with overseas
expansion and government
support says Dr Ralph Speth,
CEO Jaguar Land Rover.
Dr Speth shared his views
when he presented the IET’s
Viscount Nuffield/Mensforth
Lecture at the University of
At Intel UK’s Swindon site there are
approximately 800 employees of which
around 40 are office-based technical
support engineers. In common with
many other companies, Intel places a
great deal of importance on personal and
professional development.
Since 2008 it has been running a
programme in conjunction with the
IET, which has focused on professional
registration as a part of professional
development. The IET has supported the
programme with a series of presentations,
registration workshops and visits from
registration advisors. This has increased
IET membership, the number of Chartered
Engineers in the team has grown from
three to ten and there are now also two
Fellows.
The success of this initiative has come
from a number of sources. It is not enough
to get management agreement for this
type of activity. Whilst this is important
(for example Intel funds the membership
and registration fees for its staff), the
senior management team actively
encourages registration and sets it as
a realistic aspiration for technical staff.
It is worth noting that those teams
managed by active IET members have the
highest interest in achieving professional
registration.
Much of the momentum behind this
project has come from harnessing the
ideas and energy of those who have
already become professionally registered.
This ranged from individual mentoring of
prospective applicants and those who wish
to progress to registration, through working
with our IET Local Network on events and
committee membership to coming up with
new ideas to stimulate interest.
By Peter Mayers, Technical Marketing Engineer and Intel Industry Representative.
Promoting professional registration the Intel way
Warwick in March. According to
Dr Speth, emerging markets in
the East will decide the winners
and losers in the automotive
industry and manufacturers must
expand their global footprint into
markets such as China and India
to guard against failure.
It was also advised that this
should not be at the expense
of UK operations, but to ensure
this, the automotive and indeed
manufacturing industries require
The UK government should help British companies keep major operations at home while expanding globally.
real and practical support from
the UK government which goes
beyond the cuts to corporation
tax announced in the budget.
There is a 25-year legacy
that has been cited in the UK
of promoting growth through
services while manufacturing
has been neglected.
However, government
support for manufacturing
and the research and design
process that goes with it will
be crucial for rebuilding. Dr
Speth added that this does not
mean handouts, but that the
government must be fully joined-
up with the industry to enable
informed decisions that will
help it to succeed.
Automotive companies must
drive business in emerging markets
Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr Ralph
Speth being awarded the IET’s
Sir Eric Mensforth International
Manufacturing Gold Medal by IET
President, Dr Mike Short CBE
22. 22 Partner News | Summer 2012
business
Cassidian’s Newport campus
now has 89 members and
28 Chartered Engineers and the
company is encouraging staff
to apply for IET membership
and Chartered Engineer (CEng)
status as a valuable way of
increasing the standard and
professionalism in engineering
within the company.
Andy Shiel, a Solution
Architect at Cassidian, followed
in his father’s footsteps to
IET membership and Chartered
status booming at Cassidian
Professional registration
and IET membership
is at an all-time high
among engineers at
the UK headquarters of
Cassidian.
achieve CEng in September,
having previously been an IET
member for five years.
“It’s very much encouraged
within the organisation and
it’s definitely something we all
aspire to do. It also proves to the
organisation that I am committed
to furthering my professional
development – so it works both
ways,” he says.
Mike Green, Engineering
Functional Manager at
Cassidian, is responsible for
collating applications and
encouraging membership and
CEng among the company’s
engineers.
“Engineering is the lifeblood
of the organisation – it’s a core
business function and so it’s
important for us to encourage
our young engineers to aspire to
IET membership and Chartered
status,” he explains. “We have
been actively promoting this
ethos as a company and as a
result have seen applications
at an all time high. It has also
instilled a sense of pride in us all
and there is a real kudos within
the organisation to be associated
with the IET.”
He says the business has
also benefitted in terms of the
networking opportunities it has
gained from its association with
the IET.
“Building effective links with
other businesses cannot be
underestimated and our links
with the IET will only enhance
this in future,” he says.
Alstom GRID’s IET accredited
professional development
scheme (PDS) has continued
to provide learning and
development opportunities
across the business through
a range of workshops, mentor
schemes and skills courses.
In 2011 the company
adopted a programme that
would see a healthy increase
in the experienced engineers
who would go on to join their
professionally registered
colleagues.
“We wanted to clearly
distinguish between the
developing engineers we were
supporting on the accredited
programme and recognise
the already highly competent
technical staff,” notes David
Kirby, Learning and Development
Manager.
“The solution was to adopt
a programme to increase
membership and registration that
was successfully being trialled
with another IET partner. It was
clear the model would provide a
transparent, step-by-step route
for our experienced staff. The
added benefit of engaging with
this programme was that the IET
was then able to interview the
candidates on site as part of the
professional review process.”
Sean Barker, Senior Expert
Engineer for Design and
Technology Transfer attended the
first of three seminars in 2011.
“Since entering the field of
electrical engineering I had
often considered an application
for Chartered Engineer (CEng)
but never got around to it.
Recent developments in the
registration scheme changed
this – the opportunity to make an
application based on my many
years of experience within the
industry provided the impetus
to compile my application,” he
explains.
Alstom GRID is looking
forward to more recognition
of their staff’s competence
following further rounds of onsite
interviews in the early part of
2012.
Alstom GRID successfully energising its technical staff
Professional registration is encouraged at Cassidian
Alstom GRID's new Chartered Engineers enjoy a celebration event with IET staff
23. Partner News | Summer 2012 23
business
Engaging apprentices
With over 80 of its new
learners joining the IET as
apprentice members, Midland
Group Training Services, better
known as MGTS, believes a
strong relationship with the
of opportunities including
Engineering Technician
(EngTech) registration status at
the end of the scheme.”
“Justin’s enthusiasm and
hard work for our organisation
also ensures that we can bring
IET apprentice membership
to life for the learners. He
encouraged the local Coventry
and Warwickshire Young
Professionals (YPs) to organise
a field trip specifically for MGTS
apprentices,” he adds.
“Our apprentice members
aren’t always quick to attend local
events or lectures yet they are
an excellent way to get a wider
appreciation of the engineering
profession,” Justin adds. “I was
extremely confident that if we
could be proactive in connecting
them with our local YPs, they
would see the benefits.”
Last year Geoff and MGTS
CEO Lee Weatherly had a
chance to meet with IET CEO
Nigel Fine. A tour of the facilities
was followed by a meeting with
Nigel Fine to discuss issues such
as skills and future challenges,
many of which were covered in
the IET’s Skills and Recruitment
Roundtable this February
(see page 6).
IET adds value to the learning
experience of those starting out
in the profession.
“We have lively seminars
with our Regional Development
Manager Justin Mingaye when
the apprentices first join,” says
Geoff Rushton, Field Operations
Manager. “They get a lot out
of the sessions - signing up as
members and understanding
that their career route is full
IET Regional Development Manager, Justin Mingaye addressing the audience of MGTS partner organisations, apprentices and parents
The management of SELEX Galileo UK
has long been committed to the IET and
professional registration in particular. One
of the numerous benefits of the partnership
is that it objectively demonstrates to our
customers and potential colleagues the
level of knowledge and commitment shown
by our engineers.
Last November saw the company sign
up for the IET corporate partnership
scheme. We already have a special
registration scheme for CEng and IEng
along with an approved apprenticeship
scheme and company-wide access to the
IET Digital Library within the IEL (IEEE and
IET Electronic Library), so were delighted to
further our ties with the IET and its
other partners.
We currently participate in school and
university outreach programmes but
the lack of interest in engineering in the
younger generation is already causing
recruitment problems that can only get
worse if this issue is not tackled.
We hope that by signing this agreement
we can work more closely with the IET to
develop our current engineering employees
while encouraging the younger generation
to take more of an interest in engineering
as a career.
Plans were already underway to organise
site visits across our UK facilities when our
corporate agreement was signed. The IET
has now visited our site in Edinburgh to
deliver a presentation on the benefits of IET
membership and professional registration,
which was well received. Individual one-
to-one appointments have been organised
to allow people to discuss their specific
backgrounds and aims with a view to
achieving professional registration.
We look forward to welcoming the IET on
site and increasing our ties even further.
Most of all, we relish the prospect of
participating as the corporate partnership
develops, and look forward to realising
what this partnership can ultimately
become.
A new partnership begins
Report by Heather Rogan, Principal Engineer SELEX Galileo.
24. 24 Partner News | Summer 2012
business
The £600m redevelopment
of Birmingham New Street
station is one of the most
complex projects in our
90 year history, presenting
unprecedented challenges.
We delivered many strands
to the redevelopment, our
most important task being the
replacement of the engine
room and service spine
carrying mechanical and
electrical (M&E) services to
the station’s 12 platforms.
Logistical and programme
constraints ruled out
traditional onsite construction
so our specialist rail,
engineering and offsite
divisions looked to innovate.
The result was the biggest
integrated M&E service
solution we have ever
manufactured offsite.
Nicknamed The Spine,
the 126m long plant corridor
weighed over 300 tonnes and,
crucially, was installed with
zero disruption to day-to-day
operations. The 11 main
modules and five risers were
delivered at night, bolted
together and lifted into place.
Working overnight, it took
eight workers just three weeks
to install the modules using
purpose-made temporary
tracks to allow safe weight
distribution and movement.
Critical to our success
was the building information
modelling technology we
embrace on all offsite
projects, enabling us to create
a 3D model with pinpoint
accuracy. It generated a bill
of materials identifying every
component and cost.
The whole approach
broke new ground in
maximising innovation and
minimising disruption.
It also demonstrated the
increasingly important role
offsite manufacture plays
in improving quality, safety,
efficiency, carbon footprint
and bottom line.
We pride ourselves on
our training programme, so
it’s fitting that the director
of this project was a former
NG Bailey apprentice. It’s
also been a tremendous
opportunity for the 12
apprentices, postgraduate
and building services
trainees, who have also
contributed to the success of
this project.
M&E integration keeps
train project on track
General Dynamics UK is focused on helping its
employees gain professional registration.
On site at Birmingham New Street station
Since gaining accreditation
in 2010, General Dynamics
UK’s professional registration
scheme has gone from strength
to strength, with 19 engineers
successfully becoming
professionally registered in 2011.
As a leading prime contractor
and complex systems integrator,
continued professional
development is at the heart of
General Dynamics UK’s success
and engineers are encouraged to
link with mentors in the pursuit
of professional registration.
The scheme’s success can
be attributed to the level of
support from both its mentors
and governing body, who
regularly meet to discuss both
General Dynamics celebrates its new professional registrants at its
annual UK Engineering Awards
its operation and long term
strategies.
As General Dynamics UK
provides the support framework
to help its engineers become
professionally registered, there
is an expectation that once
achieved, they attend a mentor
training workshop so that they
can support those going through
the application process.
At the recent General
Dynamics UK Engineering
Awards, the engineering
management team invited all the
newly registered engineers and
their mentors to be rewarded
for their achievements and
continued support of professional
development.
Celebrating
professional
development
successNG Bailey technical director Steve Campbell
shows how offsite manufacturing took
engineering innovation to new heights.
25. Partner News | Summer 2012 25
business
Virtual wind tunnel aids low-carbon HGV design
The Invensys Rail NE Engineering
talent programmes are managed by
the Capability Team and incorporate
workplace-based and off the job training,
with UK and overseas placements and
projects.
These professional development
programmes, aimed at developing
Chartered, Incorporated and Engineering
Technician level engineers, include
significant challenges to ensure candidates
meet the high standards expected from
registered professional engineers.
The IET panel was impressed by the
levels of support from mentors and
senior management and also noted how
programmes for employees’ academic
studies and continuing professional
development are embedded in the
company’s culture, with excellent financial
assistance.
“This accreditation demonstrates our
commitment to developing our engineers
to the highest standards. It’s important we
show our customers and partners that we
take continuing professional development
seriously,” says Nick Crossfield, Invensys
Rail MD.
The IET recently visited Invensys Rail to accredit its professional engineering development programmes.
Credit where credit’s due
Gerry Clarke, a Glasgow apprentice now working
towards professional registration
Metropolitan, part of the
Inexus group, was selected
by developer Argent St George to
deliver an integrated energy and
utility solution to the multibillion
pound mixed-use property
development, King's Cross
Central. This includes a low-
carbon district heating network,
water mains and sewers,
medium and low pressure gas
Sara Tun at Inexus discusses her company’s role in a flagship redevelopment project.
Pink Panther comes to King's Cross
mains and a site-wide fibre
network.
This ‘one stop shop’ approach
to utility and energy supply has
allowed Inexus to work closely
with the developer allowing
future capacity to be designed
into the infrastructure.
London consumes more
energy every year than Greece
and Portugal collectively.
New developments must be
sustainable and King's Cross
will cut carbon emissions by
at least 50 per cent relative
to 2005 levels. This will be
achieved through energy-
efficient building design and
the application of the latest
technologies, with connection
to a site-wide combined heat
and power (CHP) plant driving
a hot water heating system.
Painted bright pink the CHP
plant has come to be known
locally as the Pink Panther.
Power generated by here will
also be used to supplement
supplies from National Grid
and will provide 100 per cent of
the development’s heat using a
district heating system.
The site is now fully
operational and to celebrate
a joint team from Argent and
Metropolitan are attempting
a 750 mile bike ride from
Innsbruck, the birthplace of the
Pink Panther, to its new home in
King's Cross.
The team aims to raise
£30,000 for Breast Cancer
Research and Global
Generation; a local charity
in the King's Cross area that
aims to give young people
opportunities to play a part in
creating a sustainable future. If
you would like to sponsor please
visit www.justgiving.com/teams/
PinkPanther
Pink Panther arrives at King's Cross
26. 26 Partner News | Summer 2012
business
At the invitation of FCO
Services, the IET recently
talked to staff at Hanslope Park.
“Our technical and
engineering teams develop and
deliver projects and services
worldwide and are working at
a professional level that really
should be benchmarked by
the IET. We currently have an
initiative to do just that and
want our staff to sign up for IET
membership and professional
development programmes,”
explains Danny Payne, Director
IET services FCO engineers
of Client Delivery and IET Fellow.
“I believe that the initiative
will really make a difference
in organisational and client
confidence. We have engineers
who work in ICT, engineering
and technology who would
qualify as Associates, Members
and Fellows, and achieve post-
nominals such as IEng, EngTech,
etc,” he explains.
IET membership enables
staff to keep up to date with
developments in their technical
field and also provides the
process and support for them
to become professionally
registered engineers. As a
Corporate Partner of the IET
the business will support them
developmentally and financially.
“We have experienced
members of the IET who are
ready to mentor and support
anyone interested in applying
for registration. We will also
encourage the business and
support existing members to
upgrade their membership
and become professionally
registered,” Danny adds.
“It is a great way for individuals
to gain recognition for their
professional qualifications and
experience. We also benefit
as a business because the
professionalism and skills of our
staff are promoted to the wider
world,” comments Martin Healy,
Head of Cyber and Technical
Security Service.
Above: IET National Development
Manager, Keith Richardson presenting
to FCO staff at Hanslope Park.
Kayley Lockhead has been
awarded Student of the Year
by the IET for her outstanding
academic performance. Kayley,
who recently completed her four-
year apprenticeship in building
services engineering at NG
Bailey, earned the award for her
performance in both workplace
and academic environments.
Approved by the IET, the
apprenticeship programme
includes the BTEC National
Diploma, HND, NVQ 3 in
engineering technology and
project management and key
skills qualifications. It also covers
a structured in-house training
programme that ensures the
NG Bailey apprentice wins IET Student of the Year award
apprentices gain a wide range of
skills and disciplines to develop
their knowledge and competence
to the required standard.
The award, which is given to
the student who has achieved the
most within their apprenticeship,
is sponsored by the IET as part of
the accreditation process.
“In my 12 years of teaching
and managing training for
apprentices, Kayley is right at
the top in regards to dedication
and enthusiasm for building
services and future technologies
in the industry,” says Technical
Programme Manager Lee Firth.
“She is an asset to NG Bailey
and a role model for any female
wanting to forge a career in
building services, an environment
which is traditionally male
dominated.”
Kayley now works within the
company’s engineering division
as a mechanical designer,
working on various designs
ranging from refurbishment to
new build projects, incorporating
renewable technologies and
the latest innovations and best
practice into her day to day job
role. She is also continuing her
professional development by
studying towards a BSc (Hons)
degree in building services
engineering.
For more information about
NG Bailey’s apprenticeship
training programme visit
www.ngbailey.com.
L-R Lee Firth, Programme Manger;
Andrew Morley, Operations Director;
Kayley Lockhead, Project Engineer
and Mary Jane Halstead, Regional
Development Manager.
27. Partner News | Summer 2012 27
business
RWE npower holds an annual
inter-university competition
to find the brightest minds
in engineering, science and
business in their penultimate or
final year of undergraduate study
in the UK and Netherlands.
Endorsed by the IET, it has been
running for the last five years.
In teams of four, students
are asked to answer: “What is
the cost of energy and how can
we balance energy needs with
responsible climate management
whilst maintaining affordable
prices?”
Not only does this competition
give students the opportunity
to research and discuss a
very real problem and to win
part of a £10,000 prize pot,
it also helps to develop those
valuable employability skills that
employers seek.
The competition process
is deliberately rigorous and
challenging. From a pool of initial
Imes, which prides itself
on its technical and
engineering capabilities, is
a highly diverse company,
working in oil and gas,
defence and industrial
sectors. Although the
company is relatively small,
CEO Fred Chadwick is very
much behind a drive to work
with the IET on behalf of all
its technicians and engineers
to achieve professional
registration. He is also one
of the company’s mentoring
staff – a team that comprises
five Chartered Engineers and
one Incorporated Engineer.
Imes’ workload is hugely
varied. On the engineering
side, it has introduced
the ITVIS (I-Tube Visual
Inspection System), which is
used on floating production,
storage and offloading units
to monitor risers and anchor
chains for integrity issues
and inspections.
The company has
produced the Subsea
Megger Unit to allow oil and
gas clients to accurately
identify faults with subsea
cabling to within 20m of
a break within the cable –
which on a 50km cable is
impressive. For the Navy it
has also designed and built
the Ferret, which can inspect
the interior of the tailshaft of
a submarine using ultrasonic
testing techniques, allowing
the Navy to identify faults
and/or cracks and then
extrapolate the tailshaft’s
lifetime expectancy.
This is an exciting time for
Imes. As it continues along
its growth path it is excited
to be offering the opportunity
of IET recognition to its
employees and looks forward
to working closely with the
Institution to build on its
network of technical and
engineering excellence.
Imes is working with the IET to ensure it delivers
the highest standards of engineering excellence
throughout its UK and US sites.
Small company,
big professionalism
Imes engineers and technicians with IET Regional Development Manager Greg Ewing
entries, the best are chosen
to present their ideas in a six
minute presentation to a panel of
judges, made up of RWE npower
industry experts.
For the final, an extra two
minutes are added to the timings
and the teams are offered the
assistance of mentoring from a
current RWE npower graduate
– a further opportunity to hone
their employability skills and
polish their final presentation.
The Energy Challenge is
highly valued by all within RWE
npower, with the judging panel
for the final being made up of
its executive board including the
CEO, Volker Beckers, who has
judged the challenge from the
very beginning.
The 2012 winners are the
Green Grid Consultancy from
Birmingham University, who
presented an innovative idea
to use a hybrid wind and
wave generator.
Power giant
stages university
challenge
RWE npower recently held the closing round of its
prestigious Energy Challenge competition.
Volker Beckers RWE npower CEO with the 2012 winners and IET Regional
Development Manager Dan Sanders
28. 28 Partner News | Summer 2012
business
Jenny Westworth, a BAE
Systems apprentice from
the company’s Military Air
and Information business in
Lancashire, has won both the IET
Best Technical Apprentice and
BAE Systems Best Academic
Apprentice awards
The awards recognise
excellence in the workplace
and academic study and an
award is also made for work in
the community. BAE Systems is
one of the largest employers of
apprentices in the UK with 1,000
in training. In 2012 it will be
recruiting a further 265.
Jenny, from Morecambe
in Lancashire, has achieved
distinctions in all the modules
of her Btec National and
Higher National Certificates in
aerospace and engineering and
is now studying for a Higher
National Diploma in aerospace
engineering. She is also a schools
ambassador for the company.
Morecambe and wise student
lands double award"I feel extremely honoured to
have been given these awards. I
wasn't even expecting one to be
honest, I just felt privileged to be
nominated. My apprenticeship
was a fantastic career start for
me, and I look back with no
regrets. It was a perfect career
choice and I would strongly
encourage other young people to
consider it,” Jenny says.
“I have worked in some
brilliant placements and learnt a
lot from the engineers that I have
worked with and met. Hopefully
this is the start of a very exciting
career for me,” she adds.
Presenting the Awards, Nigel
Whitehead, Group Managing
Director at BAE Systems, said:
“Our 1,000 apprentices are
critical in ensuring the company
maintains a pool of engineering
and business talent. Many of
BAE Systems' senior managers
started as apprentices and I'd
thoroughly recommend the
training programme as a career
option.
“I congratulate all of our
nominees and award winners
and wish them the best in their
careers.”
Through its Skills 2020
programme, BAE Systems
invests more than £79m per
annum in the UK in education
and schools activity, university
partnerships and training and
development for employees
including apprentices and
graduates. Skills 2020
represents BAE Systems'
commitment to ensuring it
has the right skills to remain
competitive and operate
successfully in the UK over the
next decade, into 2020 and
beyond.
IET Regional Development Manager, Mary Jane Halstead and Michelle Richmond, IET
Director of Membership and Professional Development with award winner Jenny Westworth.
29. www.theiet.org/ywe
Join us as
Thursday 6 December 2012
IET London: Savoy Place
The event is FREE to attend, but please book now as
places are limited. The evening ceremony will be followed
by a drinks reception and buffet, plus an exhibition from
our sponsors with networking opportunities and a chance
to meet the winners, past and present. To register and for
more information go to www.theiet.org/ywe
The Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2013
If you know a dynamic, inspirational young woman, who
represents the very best of our profession and is under the
age of 30, please enter her into the 2013 Young Woman
Engineer of the Year Awards.
We will be accepting nominations for next year’s awards
from 2 January 2013.
All applications have to be submitted by 31 July 2013.
For more information and to
download an application form
please visit:
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698), Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom.
Intel, the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other Countries.
With thanks to our 2012 headline sponsors:
Gabby Logan
announces this year’s Young Woman
Engineer of the Year award winner
Charlotte Joyce
Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award
Winner 2011
30. International Contacts
Corporate Manager
Tushar Chaudhary
Business Development Manager,
Professional Registration
T: +91 (0) 9811 193 334
E: tchaudhary@theiet.org
Country Head
Shekhar Sanyal
Country Head,
IET India
T: +91 (0) 9538 400 777
E: ssanyal@theiet.org
Academic Manager
Shalini Srivastava
Business Development
Manager (South)
T: +91 (0) 80 4089 2224
E: ssrivastava@theiet.org
China Contact
Ian Mercer
Head of International
Operations
T: +44 (0) 1438 765 638
E: imercer@theiet.org
India Contact
James Howe
International Business
Manager
T: +44 (0) 01438 765 631
E: jhowe@theiet.org
India
Partnership Manager
Lulu Zhao
Business Development Manager
T: +86 10 65 664687 ext: 112
E: lzhao@theiet.org
China
UK International Operations
30 Partner News | Summer 2012
31. www.theiet.org
Mark Organ
Head of Membership
T: +44(0) 1438 765685
M: +44(0) 7889 317908
E: markorgan@theiet.org
Membership contacts UK
Paul Stephens
Regional Development Manager
Area: South East of England,
Beds and Herts
M: +44(0) 7787 572367
E: dsanders@theiet.org
Tom Moverley
Regional Development
Manager
Area: London
M: +44(0) 7702 352532
E: tmoverley@theiet.org
Dan Sanders
Regional Development Manager
Area: South West of England
and Thames Valley
M: +44(0) 7787 572367
E: dsanders@theiet.org
Mary Jane Halstead
Regional Development Manager
Area: Northern England
and North & West Yorkshire
M: +44(0) 7921 230114
E: mjhalstead@theiet.org
Keith Richardson
National Development Manager
Area: East Anglia, East of
England, Humberside
and South Yorkshire
M: +44(0) 7725 424551
E: krichardson@theiet.org
Justin Mingaye
Regional Development Manager
Area: West Midlands and Wales
M: +44(0) 7711 406376
E: jmingaye@theiet.org
Greg Ewing
Regional Development
Manager
Area: Scotland, Cumbria
and Northern Ireland
M: +44(0) 7725 498129
E: gewing@theiet.org
Regional Development Team
Jo Deal
Partnership Manager
T: +44(0) 1438 767292
M: +44(0) 7710 706547
E: jdeal@theiet.org
Sarah Larkham
Partnership Communications Co-ordinator
T: +44(0) 1438 767649
E: slarkham@theiet.org
Armed Forces
Sally Davidson Jones
National Partnership Manager
T: +44(0) 1438 767409
M: +44(0) 7725 498135
E: sdavidsonjones@theiet.org
Partnership Team
Partner News | Summer 2012 31
Vicotoria Critchlow
Academic Account Manager
T: +44(0) 1438 767252
M: +44(0) 7720 090918
E: sdavidsonjones@theiet.org
Jake Godfrey
Academic Account Executive
T: +44(0) 1438 767406
M: +44(0) 7787 572367
E: jgodfrey@theiet.org
Nathalie Cameron
Armed Forces Development Manager
M: +44(0) 7725 498111
E: nathaliecameron@theiet.org
32. E4N12002/3500/0612
www.theiet.org
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698)
The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, United Kingdom, SG1 2AY.
The IET is a world leading professional organisation sharing and advancing knowledge to promote science, engineering and technology across the world.
