1. Business Awareness, Safety and Sustainability Employer Engagement with over 200 Undergraduate Engineers at Heriot-Watt University Module Partners Managed by: Chemical Engineering Department Supported by: Engineering and Business Academics Careers Advisory Service Employers Teaching Modules Project Economics Business Ethics Environmental Sustainability in Engineering Occupational Health and Safety Corporate Law Marketing Human Resources Operations Management Professional Development Planning Assessment Multidisciplinary Group Project over 12 weeks Group Presentation Project Report and Presentation Requirements Outline of process – basic flowsheet and equipment items, with an appraisal of how the business is achieved by potential competitors, Licensing and intellectual property issues, Economic appraisal including sensible estimates of the equipment costs, production costs and selling price, with referencing of sources for these estimates, Safety management system, Sustainability appraisal and how the project fits within the environmental and corporate legislation for your choice of project location, referrals to legislation must be appropriately referenced, Demonstration that there is a market for the product (including references) and how the project might influence the existing market, and An operating plan and a description of how this is to be managed. Project Examples: Feedstock production from plastic waste Waste plastic to diesel Cooking oil to diesel Recycling HDPE drums and pipes Recycling waste domestic plastic (not to fuel) Recycling of municipal waste Uses for oilfield waste Treatment and recycling of waste paint tins Recycling of mobile phones Recycle of used polystyrene The viability of a manufacturing process depends on a number of factors, not least the financial viability, but also the organisation's attitude and procedures in dealing with safety and environmental sustainability. Tools to access financial recovery and the legislation governing occupational safety, environmental monitoring and environmental management systems are generic, applicable across a number of disciplines. This module introduces each of the aforementioned topics taking an experiential approach to teaching and learning with a combination of activities and case studies. All topics covered are required under UK-SPEC guidelines. This is a core module for around 200 undergraduate students from Chemical, Mechanical and Electrical/Electronic Engineering courses. The Students work on a 12 week group project acting as a consultancy team to develop a business case/plan for a new service or product which they then present both in writing and orally as a group. The project must assess the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. As an important aspect to the work related learning being undertaken, a series of employers are invited to speak to the students each week. The employer is briefed to cover 2 main topics: A brief outline of the organisation of course and where engineers would fit within the organisation. A focus on one of the aspects being covered during the rest of the course. The aim is to put a practical engineering perspective on the theoretical elements of the course, focussing the student projects on all the required elements of their industry related projects And to enhance the employability of engineering graduates by helping students to realise some of the important social skills that recruiters are looking for. Supporting Companies Authors: Dr Robin Westacott, Dept of Chemical Engineering Keith Kilgore, Careers Advisory Service What were the most valuable parts of the course? Student Quotes: “… gave a good insight into a real world business plan.” “ The relationship between engineering and entrepreneurship as well as the importance of having a knowledge of other sections (e.g. economy, sustainability, legislation etc) in the engineering industry.” “ This module has enhanced many of my skills which will be very useful after graduation, and launching my career.” “ Being able to use the lecture content each week helped in understanding it better. Seeing what large companies look for in graduates was good too.” “ Gaining the required knowledge for management in engineering, and knowing that a company must be sustainable in the long run not just the short run.” “ The project, and particularly the great autonomy we had to develop our project .“ “ I just wish the Department could do more of these types of modules earlier on in the course!”