Tag: engineering

Partnership puts students on the right track

Edinburgh College and VGC Labour Solutions partnership leads to jobs for railway engineering students

Photo 2Edinburgh College has launched a new railway engineering course that equips students with all the skills they need to gain employment within the rail and construction industry. Ten students have already started the 16-week NVQ Railway Engineering course, and VGC Labour Solutions is guaranteeing job interviews for all graduating students.

Students who pass will have the chance to go straight into a job with VGC, working on regional projects such as the £650m Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), a major enhancement of the rail links between Scotland’s main two cities.

The training is delivered at the college’s Granton Campus, where students learn practical skills in a safe simulation environment. A key part of the training is ensuring the students are aware of the main safety risks when working on the rail infrastructure. To achieve this, one trainee per day acts as the controller of site safety (COSS), as if the team were working on a live railway.

Graham Piggott, director of VGC Labour Solutions North, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Edinburgh College. The students are learning key skills from experienced trainers who are passing on their knowledge of working safely on construction and rail. At the end of their course we will gain well-trained, keen members of our local workforce, who will work on Scotland’s important infrastructure projects.”

Photo 1John Laing, head of the Institute of Construction and Building Crafts at Edinburgh College, said: “This project is a great example of working with industry partners to deliver work-ready employees that meet their needs and will help them develop their business. It’s also a brilliant opportunity for students to find employment and work in an industry that’s delivering some really exciting projects.

“Within just 16 weeks, students will learn the practical skills and knowledge to hit the ground running when they enter the workplace, and which will allow them to develop their careers over the long term and find new opportunities.”

As well as the NVQ level 2 Railway Engineering, students will also receive a full personal track safety (PTS) and track induction (TIC), a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card and a full medical, which will allow them to begin work immediately.

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Selex forges new link with Heriot-Watt

Finmeccanica company Selex ES (formerly Ferranti) is joining forces with Heriot Watt University to fund and create the “Selex ES Professorial Chair in Laser Devices and Engineering” at the university’s School of Engineering. Dr Daniel Esser will take up the position in May and will lead a research group to develop innovative new laser technology.

Selex ES, at its site on Crewe Toll, is at the forefront of laser design and production with customers all over the world including in the US. One of the reasons the company produces such advanced laser products is due to its world-class laser research programme and this in turn is boosted by Selex ES’s links with leading academic institutions.

“A close partnership with a first-class university such as Heriot-Watt is vital to access emerging technology for future product development and to further strengthen our position as an innovative technology supplier” said Selex ES’s Chief Technologist for Electro-Optics Professor Robert Lamb. Results from the research on future innovative emerging laser technology will support the company’s laser designation business.

The chair builds on Selex ES’s significant work with academic institutions aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineering talent. This is the second chair sponsored by Selex ES, the first being the Selex ES/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Signal Processing at Edinburgh University. The company also plays a strong role in initiatives such as the annual Edinburgh International Science Festival and Big Bang Fair and regularly hosts schools for its “Rampaging Chariots” robot building competitions. The schemes are well regarded and successful – many of the company’s laser and signal processing engineers graduated at Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh universities.

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