On Wednesday (12th February), the WMG OutreachLink opens in a new window Team hosted an Engineering Industry Day at the Degree Apprenticeship Centre, at The University of Warwick.

The team welcomed over 100 Year 8 and 9 students from across the West Midlands, including those from Barr’s Hill School, Eden Girls School, Yardleys School, Harris C of E Academy and West Coventry Academy.

The event aimed to inspire students from groups under-represented in STEM to consider careers in engineering ahead of them choosing their GCSE subjects.

This project was led by Marie Diebolt, the Outreach Project Officer on the High Value Manufacturing CatapultLink opens in a new window Inspiring Young Engineers project. The project aims to foster a positive culture of engineering in young people and create the future engineering workforce.

On the day, students were welcomed by Professor Kerry KirwanLink opens in a new window who encouraged them to reflect on what their career path might look like. They met employers from various engineering sectors including RambollLink opens in a new window, JLRLink opens in a new window, Aston Martin Lagonda LtdLink opens in a new window, Legacy Manufacturing Solutions LimitedLink opens in a new window, CapgeminiLink opens in a new window, and SAPLink opens in a new window, and WMG apprentices.

WMG, at the University of Warwick, recently hosted a workshop to announce the start of its EU-funded Lasers4MaaS project, and the launch of its new Advanced Laser Welding with Dynamic Beam Shaping Lab - the first of its kind in the UK.

The event welcomed scientists, academics, and industry professionals from the high-value manufacturing sector, and provided a platform to share insights into the latest advancements in laser welding technologies, powered by dynamic beam shaping and digital technologies.

The workshop was chaired by WMG’s Reader and Lasers4MaaS’s coordinator, Dr Pasquale Franciosa, with Link opens in a new windowWMG’s Chief Technology Officer, Simon Webb,Link opens in a new window opening the event by highlighting the importance of strategic R&D programmes in advancing manufacturing.

A student from WMG at the University of Warwick was honoured to represent the UK at the inaugural Kunoichi Cyber GamesLink opens in a new window at the CODE BLUE cyber security conference in Tokyo recently.

Team UK joined competitors from Japan, the USA, and Europe, to compete in the world first, in-person, under 30, female international CTF competition.

Team UK was made up of young women who have been part of the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) CyberFirst Bursary programme, and were sponsored by Amiosec, BT, Interrupt Labs, Immersive Labs, TryHackMe, and Microsoft.

The Kunoichi Cyber Games in November 2024 aimed to champion women in cyber security and inspire young women to pursue careers in cyber. On the first day of the games the teams showcased their technical skills, and on day two they took part in forums on various topics based on the competition’s themes.

The International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM) at WMG, University of Warwick has celebrated its 10^th anniversary.

Launched in 2014, the IINM was the world’s first institute exploiting polymer processing techniques and supporting industry with innovative manufacturing technologies to produce polymer nanocomposites.

A decade later, it has supported manufacturers operating in telecommunications; electronics; pharmaceuticals; aerospace; automotive; security and medicine, including international organisations such as JLR; Baker Hughes; James Walker; Synthos; Versarien Graphene Ltd; First Graphene Ltd, Thomas Swan & Co Ltd and Black Swan Graphene, as well as highly innovative SMEs such as Senergy Innovations Ltd.

To commemorate the milestone, guests were invited for a guided tour, where they had the opportunity to meet the founder and Director of the IINM, Professor Tony McNallyLink opens in a new window, as well as academic leads Professor Chaoying WanLink opens in a new window and Dr Lukasz FigielLink opens in a new window; Research Fellows and PhD students to talk about current research.

WMG at the University of Warwick welcomes the recent Edge Foundation report on Degree Apprenticeships in England.

As a major provider of degree apprenticeships in engineering and digital technologies in the West Midlands, WMG recognises the transformative impact that they have on employers and learners who gain real industrial experience alongside a degree qualification.

The report explores the experiences of apprentices, employers, and education and training providers (ETPs), and makes a number of key recommendations for Government and Skills England to explore, which WMG strongly supports.

Professor Rob Thornton, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at WMG, said: "Degree Apprenticeships provide fantastic opportunities for young people to learn and gain work experience, at the same time delivering value for and meeting the ongoing skills needs for businesses.

“While awareness of these programmes and their popularity is growing, ETPs may struggle to meet this demand due to administrative complexity and the fragmentation of apprenticeship standards. It's vitally important that employers take the lead in defining apprenticeship standards, but these also need to be flexible to allow ETPs to tailor their programmes to better meet employer and regional needs, and incorporate the world-leading research and development being carried out in our universities."

Find out more about WMG Degree Apprenticeship programmes here: Degree Apprenticeships

Congratulations to the WMG graduates who celebrated their achievements at the University of Warwick's Winter Ceremonies.

A total of 1307 Master’s, Postgraduate Research and Undergraduate students graduated from across WMG Including:

• 1,212 Master’s students; with 1,123 of those full-time, 38 part-time, and 51 studying overseas.

• 11 PhD students and one EngD student

• 83 Undergraduate students from Applied Engineering; Digital and Technology Solutions; Cyber Security; and Digital Healthcare Science

At the event, keynote speeches were delivered by members of the WMG alumni community - Dr Andy Palmer CMG, MSc Manufacturing Systems Engineering, (1990), former COO at Nissan and President & Group CEO of Aston Martin; Paul Faithfull MSc/EngD Engineering (UK), (1997), Chairman, Watt Electric Vehicles and Jim Shaw, MSc Engineering Business Management, (1996), Chief Experience Officer, bloom³.

WMG at the University of Warwick celebrated the success of its full-time Master’sLink opens in a new window students at the annual Scholarship Dinner on Thursday 16 January 2025.

The event was held to celebrate the achievements of the scholars, with over 178 from 46 countries attending, and gave them the opportunity to network with peers and faculty members.

WMG’s prestigious departmental scholarships are merit-based awards, offering tuition fee discounts to outstanding candidates. Among this year’s scholars, 135 were recipients of the highly competitive WMG Excellence ScholarshipLink opens in a new window.

Additionally, 63 students were supported by over 20 international funding bodies, including governments, charities, development funds, and industry organisations. Notable among these were Chevening Scholars, funded by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

On 14 January 2025, WMG at The University of Warwick hosted the inaugural lecture of award-winning designer and WMG Industrial Professor, Sebastian Conran.

The lecture was held in the Design Showroom in the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC), with an audience of design and engineering partners, staff and students.

The evening was opened by Professor Robin ClarkLink opens in a new window, Dean of WMG, who spoke about the future of the manufacturing industry and the need for designers and engineers to work together seamlessly to meet society’s challenges. Professor Clark highlighted Sebastian Conran’s work in the design engineering space, and his role in the development of WMG’s new Master’s in Engineering Design ManagementLink opens in a new window.

Sebastian’s lecture, titled ‘Engineering Emotional Experiences’ - Lessons in Collaborative Implementation of Innovation, took the audience on a journey from his early years growing up and wanting to be an inventor, to his teenage years stacking shelves at Habitat, his time at art school studying industrial design engineering, and his career where he’s seen thousands of products through from concept to consumer.