2012 Courses

EWB-UK: Introduction to International Development & the Humanitarian Sector

This one-day course will take place on Monday 27 February 2012 at RedR, 250a Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5RD.

This course is intended for students with little prior exposure to international development work and offers a practical, challenging and dynamic introduction to the key issues. It draws on the experience of EWB-UK volunteers in the field, and aims to bring a new perspective to the delegates' degree studies. Attention will also be given to the ways in which engineers can continue to make a positive contribution to international development, whatever their chosen career path.

2030 Challenge: the number of people living in absolute poverty in slum areas will double by 2030 to almost 5 billion.

EWB-UK: Energy & Development

This one-day practical workshop will take place on Thursday 1 March 2012 at RedR, 250a Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5RD (nearest tube: Kennington).

This workshop aims to provide a basic introduction to energy concepts and the importance of energy access, to aid an understanding of the relationship between energy availability and human development. Through practical exercises, students will discover the issues involved with providing power where there are limited resources and many stakeholder needs. Key concepts surrounding the role of renewable energy technologies in development engineering will also be covered.

2030 Challenge: the demand for energy will increase by 50% on current levels by 2030.

EWB-UK: Food & Agriculture

This one-day workshop will take place on Monday 26 March 2012 at RedR, 250a Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5RD (nearest tube: Kennington).

One of the greatest challenges to ensuring sustainability is population growth. Over the course of the last century, the world’s population has grown from 1.6 billion to nearly 7 billion people and is currently expanding at the rate of 80-100 million people per year with this growth rate showing no signs of slowing. As the world's population grows, competition for food, water and energy will increase. This workshop will look at the role of agricultural technologies such as hydrophonics and irrigation, dietary changes, biofuels, waste and nutrition in addressing the needs of an expanding population. It will include a number of specialist speakers from the field and conclude with a debate on the contribution of GM crops.

2030 Challenge: the world’s population will rise by 33% to 8 billion people and the demand for food stands to increase by 50% by 2030.

EWB-UK: Water & Sanitation

This one-day workshop will take place on Wednesday 28 March 2012 at the University of Surrey (nearest railway station: Guildford)

Water and particularly sanitation are vital for human development. This practical workshop will emphasise small-scale solutions appropriate in rural contexts (and disaster relief situations), such as bore-holes, but will also cover larger projects from cities in China and India (including ‘Slum Networking’ in Ahmadabad), and a grassroots case study from a guest speaker. Full use will be made of the facilities at the university for water testing, system construction, filtering and sanitation techniques

2030 Challenge: almost half of the global population will be living under severe water stress by 2030 if we continue with business as usual. One billion more people will be under severe water stress in 2030 than today.

Negotiation Skills Part 1

This one-day course will take place on Thursday 23 February 2012 at the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, 1 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DB (nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus).

This course aims to achieve the following:

  • An understanding of the basics of negotiating

  • An awareness of the importance of negotiations

  • Developing different negotiation techniques

  • Developing an understanding of the preparation required for a negotiation

  • Differentiating the styles and tactics of negotiating

  • Managing objectives

  • Understanding the importance of bargaining

This course is an excellent opportunity to develop a competence in an often overlooked but highly important soft skill, which participants can apply in both their professional and personal lives.

Negotiation Skills Part 2

This one-day course will take place on Thursday 15 March 2012 at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, 1 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DB (nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus)

This course follows-on from the introductory course, and participants will need to have attended the Part 1 course. Both Part 1 and Part 2 can be attended in the same year. This course aims to achieve the following:

  • An understanding of best practice with regard to team-based negotiation.

  • An introduction to the six principles of persuasive communication.

  • An introduction to the factors that influence the environment in which negotiation takes place.

  • Personal negotiation style profile discussion.

  • Team-based negotiation simulation.

Project Management

This two-day residential course will be held on Friday 9 March & Saturday 10 March 2012 at the University of Warwick, with teaching provided by academic staff from the Cranfield School of Management.

This course aims to give engineering undergraduates essential knowledge and practical hands-on experience of managing engineering projects.

The programme is highly interactive so that students learn about themselves and how they work in teams under pressure. A challenging project management simulation runs over both days of the course allowing participants to apply what they have learned into action in a supportive environment.

The course aims to go beyond the rudimentary introduction to project management undergraduates receive as part of degree studies, and to provide an exciting and challenging insight into the essential skills needed for managing engineering projects whilst having fun at the same time.

Outward Bound Personal Development Course WILD1

Based at the Dartmoor Training Centre in the National Park, the WILD weekends will enable undergraduates to develop their leadership and team building skills with practical based and challenging activities.

The Academy in partnership with Evision has organised two WILD1 courses on from Friday 13 April to Sunday 15 April 2012 and Friday 22 June to Sunday 24 June 2012. Everything is provided on the courses and a travel grant of £25 is included towards the travel costs incurred.

The first weekend of the WILD experience focuses on basic theories behind the concepts of teamwork and leadership and applies those theories in a variety of challenging situations. You will look at leadership styles and be in an environment where you can start to develop an awareness of your own strengths and worth within a team.

The main part of the weekend will be your participation in the famous ‘Operation Engineer’, whereby you will be set a mixture of challenges to overcome. You will look at the difference between leadership & management, what makes a good leader, a good team, and what makes a good team leader.

If you have a preferred date for the course, please indicate this on the application form and we shall try to take this into account when allocating places.

Students who hold an Engineering Leadership Advanced Award are not eligible to apply for a place on WILD1 under this programme; they should instead apply through the Engineering Leadership Advanced Award for a place on either of the WILD1 courses.

For further information on WILD1, please visit the website: www.evisionwild.com

Outward Bound Personal Development Course WILD2

WILD2 looks at the development of leadership with a focus on managing, coaching and delivering results through others. The WILD team firmly believe that leadership is about behaviour and their relationship with others. Team work, the art of building a team, and recognising your role within a team are essential factors in your personal development and in relation to your leadership progression.

You will be challenged with a number of practical tasks where you will be introduced to the Foggintor Quarry. The weekend culminates in an overnight camp with a difference, where your knowledge, skills and instincts will be tested in one of the wildest of our National Parks.

WILD2 will take place from Friday 7 September to Sunday 9 September 2012, again based at the Dartmoor Training Centre. Everything is provided on the courses and a travel grant of £25 is included towards the travel costs incurred.

Students who hold an Engineering Leadership Advanced Award are not eligible to apply for a place on WILD2 under this programme; they should instead apply through the Engineering Leadership Advanced Award.

For further information on WILD2, please visit the website: www.evisionwild.com

Renewable Energy Technologies Course

This course is aimed at students who intend to develop careers in the sustainability/alternative energy/environmental engineering sectors. During the three days you will be provided with a comprehensive overview of the main forms of power generation from non-fossil and non-nuclear sources. The course will be held at Loughborough University, which is one of the top UK facilities for teaching and research in this area of technology. In addition to the taught sessions which will be led by recognised authorities in their field, the programme will include a practical demonstration and site visit.

Accommodation for two nights, all meals and course materials will be provided. For further information on the research work and facilities at Loughborough University, please visit: www.crestuk.org

The course will take place from Monday 17 September to Wednesday 19 September 2012.

Summer Work Placements or Internships with an engineering company

A limited number of awards up to the value of £300 are available to enable summer work placements or internships with an engineering company away from home. The funds are intended to support travel and accommodation costs. You will need to organise your own work placement, and provide the following information when making your application:

  • The company name and URL

  • Full details of the work placement (approximately 500 words), including duties and dates.

  • The amount of funding you are seeking to support the activity.

These awards are competitive and not all applications can be funded.