Northern Ireland further education students are partnering with local companies to solve real-world engineering problems in an innovative drive to boost employability skills.
South Eastern Regional College (SERC) students have been working with businesses to address challenges in manufacturing and engineering.
For one particular project with Royal Mail, they devised a range of pioneering solutions to streamline operations.
Working in partnership with the engineering team at Royal Mail, students were involved in 11 industry projects, including the design of a bespoke voice recognition sorting system, intelligent bag weighing systems, an innovative trolley braking system and the design and development of a unique automated timing system.
The students worked on the project as part of their Extended Diploma course, supported by SERC industrial development engineer Brendan Merrigan, with one-to-one coaching from Royal Mail senior manager Chris Lees.
Brendan said: “We are very impressed by the quality of the students’ work and their ability to apply their knowledge to a ‘real life’ workplace scenario, working to strict pre-determined budgets, time scales and design briefs.
“This experience will stand them in good stead when applying for jobs in the future.
“It is important that young people understand that it is not just their knowledge but also their skills, creativity and attitude which matter in the workplace.”
The device for Royal Mail, developed by students Kyle Turner and Rory Mc- Cutcheon, makes use of a voice activated system as part of an efficiency solution and has received positive feedback from the company.
The innovative system allows operators to efficiently sort letters and reduce misreads, adding to the company’s existing efficient postal processes.
The young innovators designed and developed a full working prototype of the one-off system which is programmed to an individual’s voice.
An intelligent voice recognition system was incorporated to identify each postal area quickly and easily, resulting in savings while also taking the risk out of errors at a critical time.
Royal Mail manager Chris Lees said: “The need for efficient manufacturing techniques is vital to our company’s reputation and is a strong source of competitive advantage.
“We recognise these students are the industry’s future workforce and we are committed to supporting their educational development.
“The skills and knowledge they have gained from participating on the projects will stand them in good stead for a career in the highly demanding manufacturing industry. I would encourage other local companies to talk to their local college when looking to build their team and develop products.”
To find out more on SERC, visit www.serc.ac.uk or contact Jo-Anne Crossley via email jcrossley@serc.ac.uk.