On 22 June, a team from Thales UK’s security business took 13 Bridgwater College students and staff to Scotland, for a one-day crash course in design thinking, hosted in the Glasgow Design Centre and accompanied by a tour of the Thales manufacturing facilities.
The group of Level 3 full-time ‘pioneer’ students are working collaboratively with Bridgwater College, Somerset Chambers of Commerce, local businesses and Thales to ‘co-design’ a longer term programme of student challenges, for launch in September 2015.
Thales project leader, Matt Mullan said,
“The aim of the programme is to train and mentor students in the application of Design Thinking skills, mindsets and methodologies to real world problems, thus igniting curiosity and passion whilst supplementing traditional education, boosting student confidence and enhancing career prospects through the provision of critical life skills and experience. These projects will be highly collaborative, bringing the students together with committed educators, and innovators from industry and local enterprise, and be focussed on real world problems relevant to the Somerset and surrounding region.”
The one-day crash course saw the students and staff undertake a fast paced exercise that exposed them to a full cycle through the design thinking process. The exercise was interspersed by a number of short theory sessions that enabled the participants to get a feel for the design approach, understand some shared vocabulary and gain an insight in to each of the design thinking stages empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.
The crash course was a major step in demonstrating the design thinking mindset, engaging with real people, prototyping, iteration, radical collaboration and bias towards action. Gareth Williams, Deputy VP, Secure Communications and Information Systems UK explained,
“It’s great to see Thales at the forefront, not only in inspiring the talent of tomorrow, but also in working together with local business and educational establishments to provide the students with skills and experiences vital to tackling complex engineering challenges.”
Feedback from the training was positive, with Paul Goss, Head of Engineering for Bridgwater College stating,
“The Design Thinking programme working in partnership with Thales and Somerset Chambers of Commerce is a fantastic opportunity for our engineering students. This programme is exactly what our students need in order to give them the core engineering skills alongside embedding crucial life skills, enabling them to become our future innovative engineers. To date there have been many collaborative workshops including the wonderful opportunity of a day in the Thales Glasgow Design Thinking Centre. The students within the programme have benefited immensely so far and it is Bridgwater College’s aim with support from Thales to implement ‘Design Thinking’ skills into the wider curriculum benefiting all our students.”
Neil Murphy, Chief Executive of Somerset Chambers of commerce added,
“The Somerset Chamber of Commerce is delighted to be part of this exciting and unique project. Design Thinking is first class example of how businesses can shape their future and this is precisely the type of engagement that Somerset’s student population needs if we are to encourage young people to pursue a fulfilling career in the County. With a world of opportunity opening up in Somerset over the next 10 years, it is hugely encouraging that global technology leaders like Thales Group are partnering with colleges like Bridgwater and local SME’s to help us realise our economic potential.”
If you would like more information about this project, please contact Matt Mullan of Thales UK Limited by emailing matthew.mullan@uk.thalesgroup.com. Alternatively, if you would like to study Engineering at Bridgwater College please contact our Information and Guidance team on 01278 441234.
