Technological designers all have a university engineering degree (MSc level) before they enroll in one of our two-year designer programmes. Selection for these programmes is tough: typically candidates are from the top 25% graduates of technological universities.
First year: special curriculum
During their programme the technological designers spend their first year following a dedicated curriculum, which involves courses, interactive workshops and group and practical assignments, often in close cooperation with industrial partners. System architecture and design are at the core of this first year. In addition to topics of a more technological content, the participants acquire professional skills such as project management, communications and conflict handling.
Second year: design assignment
In the second year the designers carry out an in-company design assignment. Their prior engineering education and the supplementary design schooling puts them in an excellent position to take on this assignment in consultation with the client. University experts act as supervisors, providing state-of-the-art technology, advising on the structure and execution of the project and monitoring that the goals of the project are realised. Once the assignment has been completed, it is assessed by a committee of university and company experts. A positive assessment leads to the award of the degree Engineering Doctorate (EngD).
A good investment
Your company can have the benefits of a highly qualified employee in-house for a whole year. Assignments carried out by our EngD trainees last approx. 12 months. During this time the designer develops complex new products and processes and offers innovative solutions to your technological design issues. Secondly, you get to know the person well and at the end of the project, you are in the perfect position to decide whether to offer him or her a position within your company.
Custom agreements
Some programmes offer industry partners the opportunity to co-select the trainee for the technological design project at the start of their programme and co-defining the trainee’s curriculum during the first year. With these custom agreements, you as industry partner have the advantage of a trainee who is especially trained on the technological issues existing within the company. In this case the invoicing period commences in the first year of the programme.
Do you have employees who would like to follow the programme? In some cases custom agreements can be discussed with our programmes.
Success
The designer programmes have been around for 35 years and to date, the TU’s have already trained more than 4,500 technological designers. Most designers have joined the companies where they carried out their design assignments and many now fulfill a management position.