AME could be role model for academic - employer engagement workshop told

Delegates at a special event organised by the University Alliance were given a firsthand insight into how academia and business could work together to deliver better graduates and more R&D opportunities.

Professor Carl Perrin was invited to showcase the first 18 months of life at the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) as part of a series of workshops aimed at boosting employer engagement.

The head of the UK’s first ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ explained how a joint collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing had become reality and is now developing 60 ‘work ready’ engineering and manufacturing graduates every year.

He also painted a picture of how R&D - developed at the organisation’s manufacturing hub in Coventry - is being commercialised into new solutions for the automotive and rail sectors.

“Employer engagement is at the heart of everything AME does. From its strong and innovative working partnership to opening up its state-of-the-art facilities and learning resources to industry, the emphasis is on improving the competitiveness of the UK,” explained Professor Perrin.

“Bringing academia and industry together was never going to be straightforward, but both organisations have a common desire to innovate and adopt new ways of bridging the skills gap. We have worked hard to overcome the teething problems and now have a successful partnership that is starting to deliver.”

He continued: “The University Alliance event brought collaboration into focus and I was delighted to be invited to tell our story. Hopefully, it could be a model we adopt in other parts of the country.”

AME is currently in the process of delivering seven R&D projects that are exploring new technologies for global customers, including Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).

These include a lightweight exhaust and a new fuel rail, both soon to enter into small to medium volume production at Unipart Manufacturing.