NET supports next generation of talent with Nottingham Trent University partnership

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) has cemented its commitment of support for the city’s up-and-coming talent, thanks to an ongoing partnership with Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

Over the past academic year, the partnership has seen NET set a series of live briefs, across three different university departments. These included a one week ‘sprint’, where Product Design students were tasked with designing and pitching their suggestions for improving the existing NET app to a board of senior leaders in an industry day, held at NET’s Wilkinson Street depot and head office.

The year also saw students from the BA Media Production course tasked with creating a set of short social media reels to promote the tram network and the city to future students, while Civil Engineering Master’s students were set a project to research and propose a new track extension to complement the existing tramline.

Over the coming academic year, NET will be building on its successful NTU partnership by launching a cross-faculty collaborative project. This will see the university’s Civil Engineering, Product Design and Property Management students gain invaluable insight and knowledge as they work closely with the NET team to take on a series of workstreams, coming together eventually to finalise with pitch proposals.

Andrew Conroy, chief operating officer at NET said:

“We’re always passionate about doing our bit to celebrate and nurture up and coming talent, and we really value the students here in Nottingham. We’ve seen first-hand how beneficial our long-standing relationship with the Civil Engineering department has been and have always been impressed with the quality of the work that its students have presented to us over the years.

“This was echoed in our more recent Product Design and Media Production projects too, and we were blown away by how the groups responded to our industry briefs this year. Over the coming academic year, we’re really looking forward to working with the course leaders and students at NTU on a much deeper level, and getting the chance to support even more young people.

“Our upcoming cross-faculty project will touch upon the skills being taught across multiple different departments – mimicking what it’s really like in the world of work – and gives students the chance to genuinely make a difference to the future of Nottingham’s tram network.

“Whether they work in engineering, design or marketing, these students genuinely could be the next NET stars of tomorrow – and if not, they will have gained fantastic experience that they can share with their employer whatever they choose to go into next.”

In addition to the cross-faculty project, NET will also be taking on its first intern this year, who will join the team from NTU’s Civil Engineering course for a two-month placement before starting their Master’s degree in September.

Karen Winfield, senior lecturer and placement coordinator for the NTU product design department said:

“Live projects give opportunities for our younger designers to meet senior people in an industry that they may be less familiar with, while broadening their breadth and depth of knowledge within a sector that they might not have considered before. This experience is invaluable for the development of their understanding of the areas covered in the course, while showcasing opportunities available to them when they graduate.”

“It was great to be able to introduce the NET team to the students right from the beginning of the project too, as it really helped develop those relationships. And, when it came to the pitch, the students excelled in professionally delivering to the audience and responded well to the questions posed.”

David Russhard, Principal Lecturer for the NTU civil engineering department added:

“For our students here in Nottingham, having the chance to work on projects for a company whose infrastructure is so substantial to the city is such a great opportunity. Solving real-life problems encourages our students to apply their knowledge in practical ways which gives them a great introduction to the world of work. After successfully partnering together with NET for many years, we’re looking forward to taking this further with this new collaborative approach, and seeing how we can take these learnings even further.”  

To find out more about NET, visit https://www.thetram.net/