Graduate placement fills knowledge gap

Birmingham based paint manufacturer, Indestructible Paints, have built a reputation on creating high quality coatings for the aerospace industry. Their high profile projects include the Rolls Royce Airbus. They wanted to bring in a graduate on a short term placement to review their current technology for coating development. They also wanted to see where new technologies and theories could be implemented for longer term development on new products.

Shakiela Begum was recruited for a 3-months placement to utilise her high level knowledge in nanoscience; an area Indestructible Paints were keen to explore. During this time she worked closely with the Chief Chemist to research the feasibility of using nanomaterials within aerospace coatings. She utilised her academic knowledge (her previous degrees were BSc Chemistry and Mphil Science and Engineering of Materials) for the creation and implementation of research and development projects.

The outcome of this research focused placement allowed Managing Director, Brian Norton, to view the longer term opportunities for this technology “Shakiela’s knowledge of Nanoscience was not available within the business – she filled a knowledge gap that we would have struggled to meet internally. In a reasonably short time, and in a cost effective manner, we were able to investigate this cutting edge technology in-house. Having the fundamental research on-site has been a huge benefit for us and we are able to take the findings on board as part of our long term and ongoing plans”.

For more information on Graduate Advantage and to register your details, whether you are a business in the West Midlands or a graduate looking for a work experience, visit www.graduateadvantage.co.uk.