Welcome to the fifteenth issue of e-transfer; which has been developed as a means of communicating what’s happening at KTP. The quarterly bulletins will showcase the tangible benefits that KTP offers through good news stories and a selection of high profile case studies. The information in these bulletins can be reproduced and aims to help provide a mechanism to share regional initiatives.
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This year’s KTP Awards ceremony was an evening event, hosted at The Landmark, Regent’s Park, London on 5 March. The event celebrated KTP’s winning partnerships and awarded high calibre Associates the prestigious ‘Business Leaders of Tomorrow’ accolade.
The evening started with a drinks reception followed by an opening speech from the Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, Iain Gray, in which he acknowledged the contribution of knowledge transfer to the success of UK businesses in the current economic climate.
KTP was delighted to receive an address from Graham Spittle, Chairman of the Technology Strategy Board and IBM’s Vice President of Software for UK, Ireland and South Africa, before he made presentations to six ‘Business Leaders of Tomorrow’, who were recognised as individuals who have identified and championed opportunities, are managing the delivery of a challenging project and motivated, inspired and supported the team they are working with. The winners were as follows.
Mark Bibby – working in partnership with Vista Panels Ltd and Liverpool John Moores University. The project aims to establish lean manufacturing in a company that manufactures Glass Reinforced Plastic doors. Mark has been at the heart of delivering many tangible benefits including a reduction in production lead time and increased production capacity.
David Kennedy, who is developing and implementing an integrated agile manufacturing and business development strategy at High Tech Steel Services, in partnership with the University of Liverpool. He has sourced and generated new UK leads for sales staff to pursue, as well as successfully making the case for prioritising co-location of sales and manufacturing staff.
Lynne Murray, who is working to establish a design, manufacturing and virtual sales facility for bespoke jewellery, in partnership with R Holt & Co Ltd and Birmingham City University. Through her professional and proactive approach, Lynne has demonstrated the capabilities of this product to the senior players at some of the UK’s leading brands.
Anna Reid, working in partnership with Northumberland County Council and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has been described by staff involved in the project as ‘the best thing that has happened to them’. Anna’s KTP aims to design a model for the teaching of enquiry skills. Her work involved working with teachers to both develop their practice in enquiry and to develop a framework for assessment. Anna has not only won the confidence of staff needed to ensure the KTP’s success, but has been seconded to Bedlingtonshire Community High School’s senior leadership team and successfully opened negotiations to publish the assessment tool kit, developed in the KTP.
Clare Rowe’s KTP with Rozone Ltd and the University of Wolverhampton aims to develop innovative products and enhance existing relationships allowing entry into new high value markets. Claire has combined work of high scientific rigour with strong leadership skills.
Liang Zong has demonstrated exceptional communication and negotiation skills in her KTP with Herbert Retail Ltd and the University of Hertfordshire. Liang’s project aims to review and improve business processes at the company, which supplies weighing and labelling systems to food retailers.
Lord Paul
“I believe that, as many more companies wake up to the commercial rewards of collaboration, the recession could have a very positive effect on higher education. The best companies will emerge from the recession leaner and fitter than ever. Those companies will see that competition means putting the best brains to work on finding solutions to challenges. That means business and University collaboration – and an even stronger position and larger role for the KTP programme.
“The KTP programme is one of the best ways of achieving these benefits. It gives those future business leaders, the Associates, close involvement with both academia and practical business situations.”
KTP was pleased to include two new special awards for the first time at this year’s ceremony. The first of these, for Academic Excellence, was presented to Professor Umit Bititci to recognise his outstanding contribution to KTP and the role that he has had on influencing the uptake of KTP throughout the University of Strathclyde. Since 1987 he has been involved in more than 30 projects including several award winning KTPs. In nominating Professor Bititci, Senior KTP Adviser Gerry Black, said: “He has inspired many other academics to participate by developing methods to encourage their involvement and by setting clear strategic ambitions for the use of KTP”.
This was followed by the Adviser Award for Excellence. KTP Advisers play an essential role in promoting and supporting KTP ‘on the ground’. Winners in this category were Gerry Black, Senior Adviser for Scotland and Northern Ireland, for his exceptional commitment to ensuring that KTP continues to meet the needs of businesses in those regions, as well as developing and strengthening the organisational structures in place to support growth. The second winner was Idris Price, Regional Adviser for North Wales. Since joining the KTP Adviser team in March 2006, Idris has made his mark as a creative and energetic part of the team. He can always be relied upon to find a solution, rising to the challenges presented by the role and going out of his way to support Partnerships and colleagues alike.
The 2009 KTP Awards recognised and congratulated nine KTP projects which have achieved outstanding benefits for all three partners – the company, the academic and the Associate. Nominations for the UK award winning partnerships were made on a regional basis with five winners from the English regions, two from Scotland and one each from Wales and Northern Ireland. These partnerships were chosen from the 204 eligible partnerships that exceeded their objectives.
Authentix Ltd and the University of York involved two Associates, Andrew Taylor and Mark Saw who developed a new range of in-product markers for the chemical manufacturing industry. As a result, Authentix has become a world expert in its field.
Cableduct Ltd and London South Bank University, with Associate Alasdair Convery, successfully introduced new product design capabilities to Cableduct – a company that supplies cable management products. Company sales increased by 40% and sales of the new product are up by 55%. A unique patented feature will make the company’s product a market leader.
The first winner from Scotland was Crawford Scientific Ltd and the University of the West of Scotland. Associate Jorge Omar Gil Posada was tasked with designing and developing an advanced e-learning platform for the analytical chemistry community. This has led to over 293 companies worldwide and over 3,000 scientists using the material, and the work was pivotal in a number of European collaborative projects.
Goss Interactive and the University of Plymouth KTP project helped the company to be more responsive to its private sector and local authorities markets. Associate Rohana Rajapaske transferred leading edge Information Retrieval techniques so that Goss could develop a new product aimed at its local authority and government clients. The project has led to an 11% increase in sales and a forecast 8% increase in profits year on year.
The regional Welsh winner was LAS Recycling Ltd and Cardiff University with Associate Nia Owen. Keen to capitalise on the increasing demand for environmental services, this KTP developed a new facility for waste recycling and helped to transfer knowledge of legislation and environmental best practice. The work carried out during the project has secured the company’s position for at least the next three years and has increased turnover by over £340,000.
Great innovations in engineering were facilitated by the Northern Ireland winning partnership in which a flexible ‘flat pack’ concrete arch which ensures a structurally efficient bridge system, was developed by Macrete Ireland Ltd, Queen’s University Belfast and Associate Abhey Gupta. Potential license agreements to the EU, USA, India and Bangladesh have completed the evolution of this KTP project into a worldwide bridge system.
OMG plc, Oxford Brookes University and two Associates, Manish Jethwa and Morne Pistorius showed a strong example of KTP at work in the creative industry. OMG specialise in motion capture systems which are used to animate characters in films. This KTP enabled OMG to build an entirely new system based on video and capable of working outdoors – something no company had been able to commercialise successfully before. OMG is now at the international cutting edge of research in computer vision and the work has provided significant commercial opportunities in the media.
The second winner from Scotland, Powerwall Systems Ltd, the University of Edinburgh and Associate Aitor Amundarain collaborated to use academic rigour to prove the effectiveness of a new lightweight building system they had developed for the highly regulated construction industry. This has enabled Powerwall to communicate confidently with customers, predict the performance of its product and improve the efficiency of its manufacture.
The KTP project between Riding for the Disabled, the University of Reading and Associate Phil Crabtree helped to modernise, centralise and make Riding for the Disabled’s working practices more efficient. This has helped the charity to secure a lucrative sponsorship deal, attract over 2,000 new members and 9,000 new contacts.
Six partnerships received special awards on the night. Details of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) sponsored awards for Application of Social or Management Science are detailed in the Sponsor’s Perspective section. The remaining winners were:
Macrete Ireland Ltd, Queen’s University Belfast and Associate Abhey Gupta who won the Best Example of Engineering Excellence, sponsored by The Royal Academy of Engineering.
Delta Fluid Products, Liverpool John Moores University and Associate Gareth Black received the award for Best Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded KTP. Delta Fluids, one of the country’s leading specialists in valves and fittings for fluids and gases, was provided with a revolutionary design philosophy, which means that the company now has the necessary tools and techniques to approach any design project with confidence.
The second EPSRC-sponsored award went to Sarantel Group, Sheffield University and Associate Mehdi Mirsaneh for the Best KTP Building on EPSRC Funded Research. This innovation-led KTP looked to find a replacement for conventional ceramic antennas and has provided the company with a greater understanding of different types of materials, reduced waste in the factory and reduced costs.
Graham Spittle
The final award for the prestigious Best UK Partnership went to one of the winning partnerships – OMG plc, Oxford Brookes University and the Associates, Manish Jethwa and Morne Pistorius.
Commenting at the awards, Graham Spittle said:
“This event has provided a welcome indication that the UK economy is equipped to meet the challenging demands of a tough economic climate and increasing global competition.
“The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme is a great success and will continue to grow as businesses increasingly recognise the value of tapping into the skills and knowledge that exist within the UK’s academic institutions. Businesses and universities need to continue to work together to ensure that innovation blossoms throughout the UK and secures our economic future.”
The ESRC is the UK’s leading agency for research funding and training in economic and social sciences. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is one of the most substantial investments made by the ESRC as part of its commitment to knowledge exchange. The Council places an emphasis on active stakeholder engagement and is committed to supporting high quality KTP projects in the private, public and third sectors. In the last few years, there has been a steady rise in the number of ESRC funded partnerships, including an increase in the number of projects supported with public and third sector organisations.
The ESRC is therefore extremely pleased that this year, the achievements of two projects completed with third sector organisations were recognised through the ESRC-sponsored KTP award, which highlights the accomplishments of projects which have applied social science and management based knowledge. The ESRC-sponsored awards recognise the achievements of all parties involved in making both projects so successful. KTPs completed by the University of Reading and charity Riding for the Disabled Association and by the University of Lincoln and Social Enterprise Hill Holt Wood were awarded ESRC-sponsored prizes for the Best Application of Management or Social Science.
The award winners were chosen by a panel of representatives from the ESRC’s Knowledge Transfer team along with three external assessors. Partnerships applying social science or management-based knowledge, which were completed in the previous year and received a final report grading of ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Good’, were considered eligible for the award. Each project’s final report was assessed against a number of criteria, including to what extent each member of the partnership had benefited from the KTP and the extent to which the outcomes of the project exceeded those in the original proposal. The winning projects were those with the highest combined scores across each of the categories.
Riding for the Disabled and
University of Reading
The University of Reading and Riding for the Disabled (RDA) project was supported jointly by the ESRC and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). Also a UK award winning partnership, this KTP involved a complete overhaul of the IT infrastructure of the charity, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities, through providing opportunities for horse riding and carriage driving. The project was extremely successful, transforming RDA from a largely manual organisation to a highly efficient, technology enabled enterprise. The project has strengthened the University of Reading’s reputation for undertaking applied research and enterprise activity and presented an entrepreneurial opportunity for the KTP Associate to run a consultancy business, providing professional IT input to similar organisations.
Hill Holt Wood and
University of Lincoln
LAS Recycling and
University of Cardiff
The first KTP Regional Awards ceremony for Wales was held on Friday 6 February 2009. The Best Welsh KTP Partnership Award went to Lampeter-based LAS Recycling Ltd, which has seen its business transformed through working with KTP.
LAS Recycling formed a partnership with Cardiff University School of Engineering (ENGIN) and employed PhD student Nia Owen as the KTP Associate on the project to manage the commissioning of a new materials recovery facility with the capacity to handle 50,000 tonnes of waste a year.
The new £2m bespoke facility which recovers, separates and recycles waste was delivered on time and on budget. It has reduced the amount of waste designated for landfill by half, with 50% of all waste being recycled.
Managing Director, Mark Saunders, said the KTP was vital in expanding and developing the business to meet challenging new recycling targets and legislation:
“We had a very basic recycling facility before and the KTP helped us develop that side of the business. We now have a bespoke system and a unique facility that can handle many different types of waste enabling us to compete for business in new fields such as recycling of plastic film and waste electrical and electronic equipment.
“This is now helping us achieve our objective of becoming the best performing facility in the country.”
The investment and increased capacity has seen 33 new jobs created with potential for more jobs in the next phase of development as LAS Recycling and ENGIN are applying for a new KTP to install a waste to energy facility which will be used to process residual wastes that cannot be economically recovered for recycling.
This process could over the next three years result in zero waste going to landfill.
The project enabled Associate Nia Owen to gain a PhD in an industrial environment while Professors Keith Williams and Tony Griffiths have delivered presentations at four international and three UK conferences and introduced new modules into undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses.
Speaking at the Awards Ieuan Wyn Jones, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for the Economy and Transport, said:
“The KTP scheme is considered the best knowledge transfer programme in Europe and the most effective job creation scheme available in the UK.
“It can quite clearly help deliver dramatic results for businesses and the highly successful partnership between LAS Recycling and ENGIN shows the real business benefits that can be achieved and I would urge other businesses in Wales to take advantage of this programme.
Runners up in the Awards were Business Systems Services Ltd and Gorseinon College, and Dezrez Services Ltd and Gorseinon College.
February was the month to celebrate regional successes in KTP with the Scottish Awards Ceremony also held on Tuesday 10 February in Dunblane.
Tom Tumilty, who is Head of the Innovation Policy Unit within the Scottish Government, made the welcoming speech at the evening event and introduced Dr Debbie Buckley-Golder, KTP Programme Director. Debbie commented that Scotland has always ‘punched above its weight’ in the KTP Awards and, looking back over recent years, for a nation which accounts for less than 9% of the total UK population, Scotland has accounted for over 12% of the Awards presented since 2002.
Commenting on KTP Tom Tumilty said:
“I am delighted to see KTP in Scotland flourishing and going from strength to strength. The Scottish Government lists as a strategic priority ‘A clear focus on strengthening the link between Scotland’s research base and business innovation and addressing low levels of business R&D.’ No initiative does more to strengthen these links than KTP and the continuing commitment of companies and the science base shows the real economic value that it delivers. We look forward to building on the solid foundations to date and helping more universities, colleges and businesses grow and prosper.”
Tom introduced the award nominees. From a shortlist of 12 nominations, two winners were selected for the Best Partnership Award: Powerwall Systems and the University of Edinburgh; and Crawford Scientific Limited and the University of the West of Scotland.
Both of these projects were also successful in winning UK Best Partnership awards at the national event in London on 5 March. The judges commended the KTP between Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited and Napier University for the project to identify sources of waste in suture manufacture and embedding innovative analytical processes for continual waste reduction.
Dr Almas Gheyas
Hugh Currie, LNS Chairman, said:
“This is cutting-edge technology which is enabling us to continue advancing our salmon breeding, greatly improving the health and welfare of farm fish around the world. The contribution which Dr Gheyas has made to the success of this work is invaluable to LNS. We’re delighted therefore that her work, especially her ability to communicate the science behind the improvements we’re making, has been recognised in this way by KTP.
“We also appreciate the role which KTP plays in enabling the breeding specialists we have at LNS and the research scientists of the Roslin Institute to work together to the ultimate benefit of salmon producers worldwide.
“We have a rich resource of scientific knowledge in Scotland to which, thanks to KTP, we now have good access as a commercial company. Such partnerships can only be of benefit to Scottish businesses with all the sales, jobs and prosperity that entails.”
OMG plc and Oxford
Brookes University
Oxford Metrics Group plc (OMG) supplies motion capture and visual geometry systems for life science, entertainment and engineering applications.
OMG worked with Oxford Brookes University and two Associates, Morne Pistorius and Manish Jethwa, to build a highly-automated motion capture system capable of working outdoors under general lighting.
The new technology captures data from video by highly advanced intelligent image processing. Currently motion capture is based on reflective markers attached to key points on the performer – to deliver an outline image of the figure in motion.
The goal of the KTP project was to tackle the major technology challenge of making advances in computing technology to successfully commercialise video marker based motion capture. The achievements of the project have enabled OMG to deliver new technology to market and play a part in helping to shape the company’s strategy going forward. Further products are anticipated based on the technology developed during the partnership. These new products will address a range of customers in markets including sport, medicine, entertainment and engineering.
The results are:
- The company has developed new technology to capture motion from video
- New products are being marketed as a result of this innovation
- KTP research results have already contributed to a major Hollywood movie project
Andrew Stoddart, Head of Research at OMG, said: “The KTP project helped OMG plc to be the first company to make a commercial success of video motion capture technology and place it at the cutting edge of international research in the area of computer vision. Both Associates are now key scientists within OMG – Manish is leading a research team within the Yotta subsidiary, and Morne is a senior scientist within the Vicon Research Unit.”
Eva-Marie Blixt
Name: Eva-Marie Blixt
Qualifications:PhD Food Technology, BSc Food Management, Qualified Chef, NVQ level four in Management
Current position:New Product Development Manager
My KTP was with bakery Bells of Lazonby and Manchester Metropolitan University. The four main objectives of my KTP project were to: develop a quality range of gluten, wheat and dairy free products; consolidate the range of conventional cake products; extend the shelf-life of existing conventional and gluten-free products; and to improve the company’s manufacturing processes. This involved recipe development and improvements and researching gluten-free ingredients. I conducted small-scale testing on products, leading to large-scale production. I tended to work independently and I had access to the University’s on-site bakery suite.
Through the KTP the company has successfully brought ranges of ‘free from’ bars (including low fat variants), biscuits, cakes, cake slices and sponge puddings to market, gaining listings in all the major retailers. We were also awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – Innovation Award in 2006 and the Winning Partnership Award at the 2007 KTP annual awards event, both of which were huge achievements. Personally, the highlight has been able to do something I’m passionate about. I’ve been able to utilise my degree and my experience as a chef to produce products for people who have allergies, which is really satisfying.
KTP is all about ownership; I was involved in the whole process – from attendance at coeliac roadshows, where I gained invaluable consumer input, to presentations to major UK retailers in a bid to demonstrate the USP of our gluten-free produce. I have also been fortunate enough to establish productive relationships with the relevant concept developers and product technologists at several leading UK multiples. This gives me a great opportunity to demonstrate my work.
KTP makes you grow and develop, personally and professionally. You attend four very different modules throughout the duration of the KTP, covering people skills, people management, career development and business leadership. These modules have provided a strong foundation for my career. I was also able to attend various conferences/seminars focusing on health, nutrition and allergens within the food industry, which have furthered my understanding of the business process and improved my market knowledge.
I am now employed in a permanent post by Bells as their New Product Development Manager. I have grown the NPD department to a team of four, which I manage, and this has been a fantastic experience. Since the completion of the KTP we’ve launched several gluten free and organic products. The nice thing is that Bells’ portfolio includes a varied range of products – there’s so much scope to develop the market.
KTP allows you to manage a challenging and exciting ‘real world’ project – but with back-up! Through KTP, my knowledge, confidence and expertise in food development has been strengthened considerably.
GradBus events
A double-decker bus pulled into Birmingham city centre on 26 February 2009 to showcase how students can fast-track their careers by helping businesses develop a competitive edge through KTP.
Hosted by Birmingham City University, with support from Aston University and the University of Birmingham, the GradBus provided information to approximately 300 students on how KTP can fast-track careers and offer excellent development opportunities for ambitious students.
At the GradBus event students were able to meet and chat to people who’ve worked on a KTP project including David Hammond. His KTP, with the University of Birmingham designed a road surface sensor system for predicting weather conditions likely to affect the safety of public transport. He said of his KTP “Many graduates struggle to find a job after finishing their studies, but KTP really helps you stand out from the crowd”.
As well as providing information about KTP, visitors to the GradBus also gained important information about the jobs market, techniques on how to prepare for an interview and advice on how to write a killer CV.
A second GradBus event took place at Kingston University, London in March where around 500 students received information about KTP. Feedback from nearly a quarter of these suggested that they would be interested in taking part in a KTP project. Athird event is planned at Teesside University in April. See the diary dates below.
Shorter KTP coming soon
Businesses across the UK will soon be able to take advantage of a new initiative to help drive forward innovation and stimulate growth, following the launch of shorter Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
The new shorter KTP initiative is designed to be flexible and act as a stepping-stone for those businesses that may not have worked with higher or further education institutions before. It is expected to play a key role in enabling small firms, in particular, to explore the benefits of collaboration.
Pilot projects are currently underway with Advantage West Midlands, Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland. The Technology Strategy Board will also be supporting some pilot projects. The national launch of shorter KTP will take place on 1 July 2009.
KTP Video Case Studies
The KTP marketing team has produced some video case studies for the promotion of KTP to businesses and Associates. These will be available for use by offices to raise awareness of KTP and encourage businesses and Associates to become involved in projects. They can be used in e-mail campaigns, generic presentations and on websites. Copies of the Associate video case studies are available to download from the KTP website at http://www.ktponline.org.uk/graduates/ThisCouldBeYou.aspx and will be followed shortly by the Business video case studies.
Associate Video Case Studies
Two Associates who have completed KTP projects showcase the benefits and challenges of KTP. These case studies aim to engage with newly qualified graduates who may be considering applying for a KTP or to students who are still studying but may be interested in KTP in the future.
Suzannah Lipscomb
Suzannah’s KTP was between Historic Royal Palaces and Kingston University. The aim of the project was to develop programmes that would appeal to a wider audience resulting in an increase in visitors to Hampton Court Palace. Suzannah’s role involved her using her research skills and history knowledge and applying these in a commercial environment.
Joe Jewell
Joe’s KTP was between Space Engineering Services Limited and the University of the West of England Bristol. The aim of the project was to model business processes, assess IT systems and implement process and IT improvements and new systems. Joe used his technical skills and required strong leadership skills to successfully deliver this project.
Business Video Case Studies
These case studies aim to target businesses that are either familiar with KTP but have never participated, or those that have no knowledge of KTP at all, to showcase the wide scope of KTP. Examples have been selected from a large company, an SME and a not-for-profit organisation.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited
This project, between Sony and the Department of Computing & Electronics at Oxford Brookes University, was to create a system for tracking head and hand movements with a video camera to enable the playing of video games without using a controller.
Zoeftig Limited
The Department of Mechanical & Marine Engineering at University of Plymouth partnered with Zoeftig to redesign and update passenger seating furniture using the latest computer aided engineering techniques and development in materials and manufacturing processes.
Breast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer Care worked with The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery at Kings College London to identify and explore barriers to its services and to develop a strategy for improving the uptake of services by people affected by breast cancer, especially from hard to reach groups.
Survey of ESRC funded KTPs
A recent survey of Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-sponsored Knowledge Transfer Partnerships helped unveil some of the many benefits from the KTP scheme, from Associates, collaborating organisations and knowledge bases.
The organisations that gave feedback were very positive about the scheme and about the wide variety of impacts that a KTP could have on their organisation, and many went on to employ the KTP Associate, showing the quality of Associates involved in the KTP scheme.
The majority of Knowledge Base respondents thought that the KTP had been valuable to their department/institution, and participation in the scheme led to a variety of research outputs such as journal articles, conferences and symposiums, which shows how the KTPs have both business and academic impacts on the institutions that become a part of the KTP scheme.
Finally, the Associates who responded all highlighted the personal impacts of the KTP scheme and would all recommend the KTP scheme to others.
The responses in this ESRC survey show how the KTP scheme can really benefit all the partners who get involved.
For further information contact laura.ringham@esrc.ac.uk
KTP Associate Making Waves
Harriet Knowles
University of Plymouth KTP Associate Harriet Knowles has become only the second person in the UK to be trained on a piece of innovative software called ‘Pisces’ to map oil spills.
Harriet was offered this fantastic opportunity as part of a 30-month KTP at Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, which aims to develop and embed a framework for sustainable port operation and development with an evidence-based approach to environmental and socio-economic issues within Falmouth Harbour.
Harriet said; “The software works by scientifically predicting and modelling the spill characteristics including the future movement of the spill so that the necessary clean up operations can be put into place more efficiently. This will allow Falmouth Harbour Commissioners to respond to oil spills more effectively by mapping the spill in a scenario, this was recently tested in an oil spill training exercise which was a great success.”
Currently Harriet is training permanent staff at Falmouth Harbour Commissioners to use the software and fully embed this knowledge and expertise into the company. She said; “Being a KTP Associate is a truly unique opportunity. The specialised knowledge and guidance provided by the University has propelled this project forward in innovative ways, including the development of an original approach to assessing the impacts of Harbour activities. With KTP I've had the opportunity to develop my personal qualifications as well as contribute towards the future development of this organisation."
The KTP is partly funded by ESRC and NERC and is supported by academics from the Marine Institute, Plymouth Business School and the Head of Shipping and Logistics.
For KTP vacancies with the University of Plymouth visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/gradopps/vacancies
First Associate receives Diploma in Management
Claire Ross
Following a review of all training provided under the KTP programme, a new management qualification for Associates, the Diploma in Management and Leadership (level 5) was launched in November 2007. The degree level qualification provides Associates with essential management and leadership training to equip them to better deliver their KTP projects. The qualification, awarded by the Chartered Management Institute, can be achieved by completing a number of online and residential training modules and passing five written assignments.
KTP Associate Claire Ross has become the first to achieve the level 5 Diploma in Management. Claire joined KTP in November 2007 and was part of the first group of Associates to start the Diploma with residential modules in January, April and July 2008.
The business management and leadership training included modules in communication, managing performance and resources, financial and marketing management, and project management.
Claire is extremely pleased to have gained this qualification and said:
“All the modules were really useful. I didn’t believe I had the ability to be a leader. The course really boosted my confidence and made me aware of skills that I didn’t know I had.
“The networking opportunities on the residential modules were fantastic. I have made some very close friends and we meet up for ‘KTP’ weekends away. I work in a rare project within arts and humanities and was able to mix with a broad spectrum of people from other academic backgrounds, for example engineering and computing.
“When my KTP is completed I am hoping to stay in the same area of work, but the Diploma has added another string to my bow and I feel I would like to work as a line manager rather than in the project manager role I was anticipating. It has taken me above my expectations.”
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Grad Bus21 April 2009 Improve your company’s profit over breakfast 29 April 2009 For more information and to book a place at the above seminars, hosted by the University of Wolverhampton, please visit www.wlv.ac.uk/businessbreakfast KTP Associate Conference29 April 2009 |
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