Evaluation of Pilot Leadership Course For Engineering Doctorate Students.
Supervisors: Dr N Wint and Dr D Rea
Recently, the Royal Academy of Engineering called for “a culture change to improve inclusion for all engineers”, after a study revealed that engineers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are far more likely than white male engineers, and to a lesser extent female engineers, to view the culture of engineering as “not very inclusive”. In addition, less than 0.5 % BAME engineers are board members of engineering companies and less than 0.1% of engineering professors are BAME.
As part of an initiative to empower aspiring leaders amoung the BAME M2A Engineering Doctorate cohort, 10 EngD BAME students will take part in a unique training opportunity. The programme, which has been specifically tailored for BAME engineers, puts self-leadership at the foundation of authentic leadership by bringing together both a coaching and a leadership course. Each student will be allocated a sponsor, whose role will be to facilitate the transition of the EngD student into the workforce by leveraging their network to create opportunities (shadowing, internship, practical skills) for the students.
In order to understand the impact of the programme a large amount of qualitative and quantitative data will be needed. This funded Masters by Research project will focus on the collection of data with the aim of evaluating the impact of coaching, sponsorship and leadership courses and will involve;
- Development of a robust research design to capture data regarding participant experiences throughout the course
- Using a wide range of primary data collection methods including, but not limited to, ethnography, interviews, focus groups, participant narratives, as well as surveys
- Carrying out analyses of both qualitative and quantitative data
- Engaging with both pedagogic, and diversity literature within and beyond the engineering discipline.
The Materials and Manufacturing Academy (M2A) in the College of Engineering is a Swansea University initiative which provides postgraduate research training in partnership with industry; providing access to world-class laboratories and a wealth of academic and industry expertise.
The M2A is committed to providing top quality research opportunities within an inclusive environment, funded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Swansea University and Industry partners.
EligibilityWe welcome applications from candidates with an honours degree in a relevant discipline (minimum level 2:1), or a combination of degree and equivalent experience to the same level.
Normally, we would expect candidates to have met the University’s English Language requirements (e.g. IELTS 6.5 overall with 5.5+ in each component) by point of application.
Full eligibility can be found at https://www.materials-academy.co.uk/eligibility
Fees at UK/EU rate and Stipend £12500, both for the period of one year.
For full details on funding eligibility, please refer to the Materials and Manufacturing Academy (M2A) Website.
Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is not open to ‘International’ candidates.
Start Date April 2021
Informal enquiries about this studentship are welcome and may be directed by email to: M2A@swansea.ac.uk