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[April 2002]
Ceramic Companies Involved in Keele University IT Projects
CERAM and Ferro (Great Britain) were included amongst over 40 small and medium sized businesses which featured in an invitation event run by Keele University (Staffs, England): the companies had provided project placements for MSc IT postgraduate students in Keel's Computer Science Department.The Open Event, which took place on 28 March 2002 at the University site near Newcastle-under-Lyme, offered an informal setting for the companies to meet and discuss their projects at first hand with postgraduate students and academic staff. The participating companies came from diverse business sectors from manufacturing, training, research and consultancy through to public sector organisations and charities.
"The Muscat and Management/Management courses at Keele are an excellent model for building links with business partners and raising awareness of Keele University within the region," said Sherine Holden, Marketing Manager of Keele University's Business Development Office. "There is often an element of 'knowledge transfer' from the Computer Science Department to the Company and vice versa which benefits all partners, the company, the student and Keele University."
In all, 70 projects were offered from a broad mix of organisations. The courses at Keele provide students with the opportunity to work with local companies on strategic IT projects for the duration of five months from May to September. Projects are delivered free of charge and any travel expenses incurred by students are negotiable.
For companies, project placement programmes offer the opportunity to work alongside high calibre graduates who can bring a fresh approach to solving problems and can yield a positive impact on their strategic direction. Businesses of all sizes have benefitted from such collaboration and have managed to undertake and complete projects that might have otherwise failed to get off the ground.
"Projects are an integral part of the MSc Information Technology Programme at Keele," confirmed Dave Collins, Associate Director of Programmes. "They provide our students with many challenges and the ability to put theory and techniques into practice, in real life situations. We are very grateful to those companies who sponsor our postgraduates. We appreciate the involvement and time invested by our partner companies."
ENDS