E3 Academy continues to support UK engineering undergraduates

Control Techniques has employed David Hicks as a graduate engineer at its engineering and design facility in Newtown, Wales.  The company recently sponsored Hicks to complete a Master’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering at Newcastle University.  Prior to this, Control Techniques also sponsored Hicks through his Bachelor’s degree in the same subject.

Hicks was sponsored via the E3 Academy.  The E3 Academy offers three or four year sponsorship to undergraduate students studying electrical and electronic engineering at the universities of Nottingham, Bristol or Newcastle.  Sponsorship is provided by a number of UK-based companies, including Control Techniques.  The academy guarantees students an eight week summer vacation work placement for which they can earn up to £2,500.  An additional £2,500 a year is also provided as a scholarship.

In 2011, Control Techniques took on three students who had been sponsored by the E3 Academy, and the company is currently sponsoring a further 13 graduates through engineering degrees.  The next intake of E3 students will be in summer 2013.

David Hicks is currently gaining experience by working in a number of different departments at Control Techniques’ engineering and design facility before he is assigned permanently to one area.

Hicks said: “The financial sponsorship provided by Control Techniques was obviously a huge help to me during my studies.  Additionally, the summer work experience was invaluable and meant I was really well prepared for working full time at Control Techniques when I graduated.”

Enrique Miñarro Viseras, president of Control Techniques, says: “David has quickly become a valued member of our engineering and design team.  Control Techniques always needs the best engineering talent, and I am very happy that we are able to sponsor electrical engineering students via the E3 Academy.  We have a continuous stream of E3 students coming into Control Techniques every year, and they are a huge benefit to the company.”