UnitBirwelco accesses university
R & D data and recruits 16 apprentices

UnitBirwelco Limited, the specialist thermal technology group, has made a reciprocal agreement with two UK universities to provide a limited number of ‘Two-Year’ university graduate engineer placements in return for access to research into new renewable energy technologies. The move comes after close and ongoing collaboration with the universities of Swansea and Birmingham.

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As part of its commitment to train and develop a new generation of engineers, the Group has also recruited sixteen apprentices spread across all three of its UK sites.

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Commenting on the initiative, Cy Wilkinson, UnitBirwelco CEO, said: “We believe Britain’s universities are sometimes an under-utilised resource, particularly when it comes to R & D where budgets can represent a huge outlay for smaller businesses. Through our links with these two outstanding universities, we stand to benefit not only from the latest research into areas like Hydrogen production, but also by having some of the country’s brightest minds working on site in our factories. The graduates, on the other hand, will have the benefit of taking their research out of the laboratory and applying it in an everyday commercial environment.”

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Commenting on the initiative, Graduate Project Engineer Joe Morgan said: “I believe a lot of companies are missing out on possibilities to expand by working with academia on R & D projects. It represents the perfect opportunity to take research out of the lecture rooms and put it to practical use with like-minded companies like UnitBirwelco. On a personal level, it’s rewarding to use my university work and knowledge in a proper business setting.”

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Cy Wilkinson added: “Our apprenticeship programme reflects the corporate belief that, provided they are trained properly, apprentices are the future – many of the Group’s senior management, including me, started their careers this way. Industry is crying out for qualified engineers.”