Industry News combines existing qualifications and tailors them to provide automotive leaders with in depth management and technical knowledge. It has been developed using best practice from the worldwide operations of UK based car manufacturers. The programme, developed and funded through the Automotive Industrial Partnership (an industry skills collaboration, supported by government), leads to a higher level qualification, encompassing both theoretical and practical training in leadership and technical management. ProLead is partly modelled on Germany’s well established and highly valued Meister qualification, which is a pre-requisite for anyone entering this role in the country. This generates a talent pool of future leaders wellprepared for promotions as they arise. BMW and Jaguar Land Rover are working together to ensure it becomes a standard qualification and around 100 of their managers are among the first cohort on ProLead training courses. BMW and Jaguar Land Rover anticipate putting hundreds of people through the programme over the next few years with the challenge to increase uptake across other businesses in the automotive and other industrial sectors. For more information about the Automotive Industrial Partnership go to www.automotiveip.co.uk Registration opens for the 11th International Symposium on Friction Stir Welding
26
grouping of America, Europe and Asia. It presents an unrivalled opportunity to meet leading authorities on FSW including, researchers, practitioners, customers and suppliers from around the world. Attendance at the symposium provides an opportunity to hear the latest developments in this technology from speakers who are regarded as world authorities in the subject, and to discuss various topics with them. Registration has now opened for the upcoming symposium, which takes place on the 17–19 May 2016. Early registration is £475 per delegate and £450 for authors (one author discount per paper). After Friday 1 April 2016 all registrations will increase to £500 per delegate. As spaces are limited, early registration is strongly advised. To register, please visit the symposium website at http://www.fswsymposium. co.uk/ FSW, invented by Wayne Thomas at TWI in 1991, overcomes many of the problems associated with traditional joining techniques. FSW is a solidstate process which produces welds of high quality in difficult-to-weld materials such as aluminium, and is fast becoming the process of choice for manufacturing lightweight transport structures such as boats, trains and aeroplanes. APC 5 Competition Opens
TWI, where friction stir welding was first invented, plays host to the next International Symposium on Friction Stir Welding (FSW) at its new state-ofthe-art facilities near Cambridge, UK later this year.
• Competition now open. APC5: Driving UK Productivity through Low Carbon Propulsion Technology • £35 million grant funding available (combined project value target to be in excess of £70m) • Fifth competition round from APC
Organised on behalf of the Friction Stir Welding Licensees Association by TWI, the symposium is held every two years, rotating around the major FSW user
14 January 2016: This week marks the opening for applications to the latest APC funding competition aiming to support in excess of £70 million in
collaborative projects. The APC, in association with Innovate UK, will welcome applications from consortia with low carbon propulsion research and development projects that can deliver significant reductions in vehicle CO2 or other harmful emissions. Applicants will have until 23 March 2016 to register for the competition and until 30 March 2016 to submit their proposals. The competition will fund innovative low carbon propulsion technologies that will deliver significant reductions in vehicle emissions compared to current best-in-class technologies and have the capability to develop the UK’s low carbon vehicle technology supply chain. Projects must demonstrate the development of technologies around one or more of the following areas: • Internal combustion engines • Lightweight Vehicle and powertrain structures • Electric machines and power electronics storage and energy • Energy management • Alternative propulsion systems Project submissions are judged on both Technical and Value for Money considerations. Total eligible project costs should be between £5 million and £40 million and projects are expected to have a duration of 18 to 42 months. All projects must be collaborative and business-led, include a vehicle manufacturer or a tier 1 supplier and an SME partner. Project consortia can only request up to 50% of the total project costs as a publically funded grant. To register and apply https://interact. innovateuk.org Three outstanding celebrated as Young Engineers of the Year
women Woman
Recognising their ground-breaking work in engineering, the Institution