About the programme
The Lord Bhattacharyya Industrial Secondments are part of the wider Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme, which is delivered by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with WMG at the University of Warwick. The aim of the industrial secondments is to support the teaching and learning of engineering by giving school and college staff in the West Midlands the opportunity to undertake a funded placement with a local engineering organisation.
Teaching staff can spend up to ten days with a local employer gaining first-hand experience of the engineering sector, and developing skills and knowledge that can be brought back into the classroom, together with an insight into current industry practice. The industry placement can also be supplemented with attendance at CPD events such as conferences or networking events.
How does the programme work?
In the first instance, teachers and lecturers who are interested in undertaking a secondment should utilise existing relationships that their school/college may already have with industry partners in order to arrange a potential placement. You will need to discuss your plans internally so you are clear on what you would like to gain from the experience, and you will also need to discuss it with your host organisation so that they can facilitate this as much as possible.
The programme manager is also able to assist with making introductions to companies if your school or college does not have the relevant industry connections. Please get in touch with details of what you would be looking to do.
The Academy will pay £150 per day, for a maximum of ten days’ secondment. Secondments can be configured flexibly to allow staff to undertake them in a way that will suit them. For instance, it is possible to complete up to ten days consecutively during the holidays, or a day a week for up to ten weeks during term-time – this will need to be discussed both with your own organisation and your host organisation to ensure a schedule that will work for everyone.
Once you have a clear plan of what you would like to do, and your school/college and industry host is in agreement, please submit an application form.
All secondments will be subject to review and approval by the Academy, so please do not commence your placement until it has been formally agreed by the Academy.
The application deadline for the current round of secondments is Thursday 11th July 2024.
What are the benefits to my school or college?
- Staff will be able to experience the industry sector first hand – an invaluable opportunity to teaching staff, lecturers, tutors and careers staff to become better aware of, or engaged in, current industry practice,
- Teaching staff will give consideration to new engineering teaching and learning best practice, and have the opportunity to disseminate this to other departments or relevant wider staff
- Staff will have greater awareness of post-16/post-18 opportunities for learners
- Consolidation and extension of existing relationships between schools/colleges and industry, as well as building positive relationships with new providers
Interested in hosting a secondment? What are the benefits?
- Commitment to supporting education will raise your organisation’s profile locally and potentially nationally
- Hosting a secondment creates a development opportunity for staff to act as buddies or coaches for secondees. This helps existing staff gain further management or mentorship skills (which are known to increase job satisfaction!)
- Building and strengthening links to education providers helps you to build and access a pipeline of talent for entry-level positions or apprenticeships, and could later be cost-effective channel for recruitment
- Hosting a placement also gives you a chance to influence the next generation of workers – working with teaching staff, you can ensure they develop the knowledge, attitude and practical skills to succeed in the workplace