Supporting our people and their families has always been hugely important to us at Precision Polymer Engineering. Our Bursary for Education is an initiative we’ve always been particularly proud to offer - a scheme in which PPE employees can apply on behalf of their children or dependents for a bursary contribution towards education costs.
This week, we were delighted to see past Bursary awardee Muhammad Adam not only graduate with flying colours, but also accept an offer to join the team here at Precision Polymer Engineering and continue his professional development.
We grabbed a brief chat to say hello, congratulations and welcome to the team... and also to get his views on what the future might hold now he's a qualified engineer!
Hi Mo! First things first, a massive well done on your degree! What did you end up with?
Thanks. I achieved a first class degree with honours BEng in Mechanical Engineering, so I'm obviously pretty happy about that!
Wow. Not bad at all! How did you find the course?
It was great. Very challenging, but still plenty to enjoy. I enjoyed using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) in projects to solve problems. In my final year, I used CFD to re-design an HGV to improve fuel consumption by 36%.
Feel free to have a look at my car later!
*laughs* Yeah I’m just working on my price list now!
Do you think the PPE Bursary for Education was important for you in your studies?
It made a big difference to be honest. Especially in the first year. But as much as the financial assistance was important, it was also the opportunity to spend a summer placement at PPE in 2018.
We didn’t put you off a career in engineering?!
No, no! I actually learned a lot about CAD (Computer Aided Design) and how to design for manufacture. It was a really beneficial foundation for progressing with my studies.
And now you’re back!
Yes, I’ve come back for more! I’ve accepted a role as an engineering analyst, working within the engineering services department.
What are your key responsibilities going to be?
Mainly, I’m responsible for improving engineering processes, and also a fair amount of statistical analysis. I’m looking forward to getting involved with developing automation tools and performing mathematical analysis, to gain further insight into our products and processes.
Sounds like we’ll be keeping you busy! What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to keep active. I train Muay Thai regularly, and on the weekend I play 11-a-side as a centre-half. I’m also an avid Liverpool supporter and try to get to Anfield as often as I can.
It’s been a pretty exciting last few weeks for you then, I guess!
Yeah, the league win has been a nice cherry on the cake!
Hopefully it won’t be another thirty years to the next one! Any other hobbies?
I’m a keen photographer, and like to get out to scenic locations with my kit and the drone.
Sounds like I’ll be signing you up for a few jobs in the marketing team as well! Ok, last but not least, what advice do you have for any young people thinking about an engineering career?
I think it’s important to get in the industry as soon as possible, and to make yourself distinct by learning a skill. Mechanical engineers can work in a range of industries from aerospace to pharmaceutical, so I’d say it’s a good idea to specialise in a particular area. That might be learning how to manage projects effectively, or by becoming proficient in FEA (Finite Element Analysis)? Personally, I believe this will make job seeking a lot easier for engineering graduates.
Thanks for your time Mo! Hopefully we’ll catch up with you again soon!
Congratulations again to Muhammad, and hopefully it won't be long before another one of our Bursary for Education alumni makes the next step to a future in engineering - which is looking particularly bright, if Mo is anything to go by!