b'Partner News Summer 2020 11AcademicProviding placement years for engineers on their journey to Professional ExcellenceBased within City, University of Londonsand research to show me the ropes. I love School of Mathematics, Computerto code, it feels like youre learning a new Science & Engineering, the Professionallanguage and actually talking to machines. Liaison Unit (PLU) supports studentsThe feeling of satisfaction you and employers through the process ofget from completing a sequence is undertaking or providing placements,like solving a riddle or puzzle!internships and work-based learning. With her placement now finished, Ajna is Over the last 20 years, the PLU hascurrently completing her final year. After she placed penultimate year undergraduategraduates, she aims to take her coding skills students with a range of employers.even further and apply them to machine Now in its fourth year, the Deans Awardlearning in the booming sector of AI.for Professional Excellence was set up by the PLU and seeks to recogniseReflecting on her placement, she students who have produced excellentsaid: Being at university is very work during their placement year.Ajna Ram, winner of the 2020 Deans Award fordifferent to being employed full-time, Professional Excellence. so it is important that students have This years winner of the award wasthe most appropriate solution for variousopportunities to gain that experience, Biomedical Engineering student,technical problems; using programmesas that will be vital to securing a job.Ajna Ram, who spent a year workingsuch as Data Studio to create analytics. as a business operation intern atAjna enjoyed coding and had learntThe PLU provide a bespoke, wide-pharmaceutical company, Roche.Python as part of her degree, and whilstranging service to employers offering on placement, she also learnt VBA. work experience to students. If Working within the Clinical Operationsyou would like to find out more department, Ajna worked under theA real challenge of the role was that I hadabout offering placements, contact: Systems Architect to manage all theto learn a completely new coding languageHannah.bright-wood@city.ac.uk systems and technology utilised in thecalled VBA, she said. This was completely department. Ajnas role required her to findnew to me, so I used a lot of online tutorials New digital engineering centre set to open at the University of the West of England in 2020The University of the West of EnglandThe centre, which is not a new building butand workforce development capability (UWE Bristol) will play a central role inwill use existing facilities and assets, hasprogramme and talent pipeline that will a new 10m digital engineering centrebeen set up to benefit future generationsinspire, introduce, convert and specialise, for the region. The Centre for Digitalof engineers and engineering products,promoting an inclusive diverse workforce, Engineering Technology & Innovationand to help tackle global challenges. It wascrucial for creativity and innovation.(DETI) is a research, innovation and skillsofficially launched at a technology showcase initiative created to develop and accelerateevent at the NCC by WECA mayor TimDr Lisa Brodie, Head of UWE Bristols digital engineering across multiple industryBowles and Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore. Department of Engineering Design sectors. and Mathematics, said: This is a vitally UWE Bristol will lead on one of theimportant investment for our region, and The project sees a collaboration of industrycentres three core areas of focus: skillswe are pleased to be leading on the skills and academic partners led by the Nationaland workforce development. This elementand workforce development element of the Composites Centre (NCC) and is supportedof the project will concentrate on thecentres work.by the West of England Combined Authorityprovision of digital skills, training and career (WECA). WECA awarded 5m to the centredevelopment for the engineering workforceThe new centre will meet UWE Bristolsmatching 5m investment from West ofof the future. It will also see UWE Bristolsambition to become one of the top England businesses who are at the forefrontDepartment of Engineering Design andengineering schools in the country.of industry. Mathematics create an integrated education'