CEME Consortium Project

Project details

Full project title: CEME Consortium Project

Duration: September 2007-August 2008

Project lead: Tim Bateman

Project summary

The CEME Consortium Project was developed as a way of encouraging more participation from employers in the delivery and development of the department’s programmes.

A group of the most active employers was identified and invited to join the group for one academic year as a pilot project. In exchange for opportunities to make contact with students, each employer paid £600 to be part of a group. 10 employers participated.

After administration costs, surplus funds were devoted to the development of the department’s teaching resources. A website was developed for students to get more information about study support and placement opportunities with the employers.

The members participated in speed dates for recruiting placement students. Employers also took part in workshops, hosted site visits, and provided guest lectures. The surplus fund was put into an experimental video recording of an interview between a practitioner and a lecture on an aspect of best practice in construction management. This was made available to students as a streaming file and will be integrated in the teaching programmes for next year.

Project outcome

Response to the recording has been very positive and in addition to students, it is also being made available to practitioners outside of the University. Feedback at the end of the first year of the project from both the partners and the lecturers was very positive. Nine of the ten employers agreed to participate for a second year and two new members have also been invited to join. The consortium is funding the production of a further three video recordings in 2008/09.

If you would like further information about this project, please contact CABER.