Touch-less Hygiene-KTP

The ability to carry out my own project from start to finish, managing many aspects of the project was attractive as I wanted to gain experience in several areas of an engineering project. 

Throughout my KTP journey I have been exposed to all aspects of an engineering development project. 

No, I came across the role on LinkedIn and made contact with a previous lecturer I had at UWS to find out more about the role. 

A benefit of the KTP model allowed me to work on a project from start to finish exposing me to all areas of engineering and project management, positively developing several of my core skills improving my ability to adapt to challenges in all areas of a project

The nature of a KTP is to challenge the norm presents several challenges, my main challenge was developing my own knowledge base of the product with little knowledge base available at the company on the engineering side when I first started the role. 

A typical day for my KTP, developing a new product with a focus on DFMA and CFD analysis usually consisted of developing new solutions and analysing them using a methodical approach at the early stages of the project. As my project progressed through the 24 months prototyping stages I would find myself having a more hands on approach each day carrying out testing the solutions I had developed. Outside of the day to day of the project work I would need to look for potential publication ideas which require further research and analysis. My role with a small company is quite unique as I have to manage my own work as well location. Where I have been fairly mobile over the past 24 months carrying out site visits with suppliers, taking prototypes to testing centres or attending KTP events such as the Can DO Summit. In conclusion every day is different and holds its own unique challenges. 

Apart from the main KTP project we developed one unique quick win product which wasn’t envisioned before the KTP and should solve a problem within the oil & gas sector. 

I used my development budget to develop my engineering skills by sitting Solidworks and ANSYS Fluent training programmes and also becoming certified with Solidworks, allowing me to market myself with a certified skill set. I have also booked to sit the yellow and green Lean Six Sigma belts adding to my CPD qualifications. I have also used my budget to become a member of the IMechE. A large amount of my development though came from on the job challenges and tasks learning from my academic supervisor. 

The KTP that I have been part of allowed a company that is a service provider to develop a knowledge base of their own equipment at a high level of detail as well as develop their own equipment. This was only possible due to the experience in design and development at the university with expertise also in CFD allowing an in-depth design study of the company’s technical spraying equipment. 

Yes, I would recommend the KTP programme to others as it is a great way to develop a unique experience that you wouldn’t get from traditional graduate roles at major corporations. It is a great way to challenge your technical skills and personal skills as these projects are challenging and can be intense at times. An ideal set up for anyone looking to develop a successful career outside of the norm.