New scheme launched for engineering undergraduates

The initiative, developed by Semta, the employer-led skills council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, in partnership with London South Bank University (LSBU), will see engineering undergraduate students being trained to higher apprenticeship standards during work placements with small and medium-sized companies while completing their studies. Semta said higher level skills were growing in importance to the long-term future of the engineering sector as low-cost engineering moved abroad and the UK increasingly competed at a higher level in the value chain. The scheme will allow undergraduates to achieve an additional qualification during their studies, making them more employable in line with employers' demands and more attractive as they enter a competitive employee market. Philip Whiteman (pictured), chief executive of Semta said: "We are uniquely placed to understand the individual skills needs of businesses in our sectors. Many of the 130,000 companies we represent are demanding higher level knowledge and practical skills. Our industries need 10,000 recruits a year with higher level skills between now and 2016. "This new scheme is typical of the innovative solutions that Semta is pioneering – bringing together leading industry organisations and valuable SME businesses to give students a real taste of working life, and helping smaller businesses get involved in the skills development process."