Over a number of years the University has been successful in obtaining a range of Teaching Company Scheme awards (now renamed as Knowledge Transfer Partnership awards). These projects are normally two-three years in length and involve a recent graduate being placed in a company to problem solve processing or quality issues as well as implementing technology transfer between the University and the company that they are placed in.
Examples of such schemes have been highly useful in illustrating to final year students the potential application of their knowledge and serving to illustrate the possible activities they will be undertaking during their employment. In order to make the linkages even clearer we have used the basis of a particular teaching company scheme to develop a specific case study each year. Each case study focuses on a small problem within the larger 2-3 year TCS project. As such this project tends to be a blend of practical use of food technology pilot plant equipment and also background theoretical research. Students are allowed to organise their work pattern in order to meet the objectives of the particular project.
