Three graduates from Newcastle University have revved up their careers by landing jobs at one of the biggest names in motorbikes.

Simon Tate, Will Hawkins and Jack Armistead, who all graduated from Newcastle with degrees in engineering this summer, have won permanent positions at Triumph after impressing on year -long work placements. During that time they did project work giving them a true taste of what life at the Leicestershire based manufacturer is all about.

The trio are now settling into their new roles at the company, which employs 700 people in the UK and sells 49,000 bikes around the world every year, including to the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia and Brazil. They will be working to improve a variety of components on existing bike models and will then take component designs from concept all the way through to production.

Simon, 23, said: “It’s great to be working for such a prestigious manufacturer. The standards we have been set here are very high. There is an attitude in the company that if something is not good enough then you have to do it again. It really keeps you on your toes and working the best you can.

“The year we spent here on work placement was essential,” said 25-year-old Will.  “It gives you more of an idea of what the world of work is like and allows you to put into practice the things you’ve learnt in the classroom. It really helped to showcase our talents to the company and lead to us all being given permanent positions. It also helped me when I went back to the classroom for my final year, as I had more confidence in what I was doing and I could use some of the work I was doing as my final degree project.”

Jack, 22, said: “The careers service at Newcastle University was useful as they helped sharpen up my CV writing skills. Doing a year in industry is definitely something I would recommend.”

Matthew Binder, design team leader at Triumph, said: “Any students who are offered a permanent position after completion of their placement year have met our very high standards and expectations.

“Graduates joining the Design Department at Triumph bring knowledge of the latest engineering techniques, technology and computer software along with their problem solving skills and enthusiasm. 

“The placement gives both the students and Triumph a year to assess their suitability to join our team on a permanent basis.  As the students are given actual project work during their placement it allows us to judge their performance against real meaningful deliverables.  Therefore it is significant in their recruitment.”

Marc Lintern, Director of the Careers Service at Newcastle University, said: “Employers are increasingly looking for more from their graduates than just a degree. If potential recruits can show they have applied their skills in the real world it gives them a huge boost in the jobs market. We operate several schemes and use our extensive list of contacts to get students the work experience they want and need.”

Latest Government figures from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that 95.2% of 2012 UK graduates from Newcastle were in employment or further study within six months.

published on: 3 September 2013