Free business expertise is to be offered to Swindon’s advanced engineering companies under a link-up between UWE Bristol’s MBA programme and the South West’s advanced engineering and aerospace iNet (AAE iNet).
Firms will benefit by working with highly-experienced postgraduates on the MBA programme across a number of specialist areas such as marketing, HR and IT.
The Bristol MBA is designed to allow postgraduate students take a step toward senior management by providing them with the skills they will need to improve business and service performance, achieve change, bring out the best in people, boost profitability and deliver long-term success through innovative strategic thinking.
UWE is a partner in the AAE iNet, which is led by the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), and one of five iNets in the region.
David Wornham, director of business development in UWE’s Bristol Business School said: “During 2012, there are 10 project opportunities – five individual projects and five group projects – for businesses that would like concentrated assistance.”
The areas include:
· Developing marketing strategies and campaigns
· Consideration of HR process such as induction and recruitment
· Investigation into implementation of a future IT system
· Review of existing project management strategies and procedures
The Business School would like the projects to start in April 2012 and be relatively local to Bristol. Businesses do not have to pay, although reasonable travel expenses are expected to be covered by the company.
“Projects focus on a real problem or issue facing an organisation, a practical investigation is undertaken leading to clear recommendations for action,” added Mr Wornham. “In addition to the postgraduate involvement, the AAE iNET can provide additional academic expertise.”
West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF) member company Third Dimension, based in Filton, has already benefited from the expertise of a UWE MBA student. The company supplies optical measurement systems to the manufacturing industry worldwide, including aerospace manufacturers, for geometry checks and quality control.
CEO Peter Marchbank said: “Working with placement students gave us access to a fantastic professional resource that provided a meaningful contribution whilst allowing us to give something back to the community.”
The five South West iNets were launched a year ago. As well as its involvement in the AAE iNet, UWE is leading the iNets in Biomedicine, Microelectronics and the Environment. The Creative Industries iNet is led by South West Screen.
The iNets bring together academic researchers with regional industry, businesses and public sector organisations, and aim to drive growth in these five sectors with high growth potential in the South West region.
They are part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), South West RDA and partner investments.
