Graduate recruitment programme produces results for AnTech
  by: OilOnline
  Friday, September 16, 2005

Exeter, England ... AnTech Ltd has appointed Nigel Rowcliffe to the position of Development Engineer. The appointment is of special significance because Rowcliffe is the first person to become a permanent employee as the direct result of completing AnTech’s Graduate Recruitment Programme.

The Graduate Recruitment Programme is closely linked with the national Year in Industry training scheme, which aims to match young people who want to gain job experience with companies seeking to train potential employees for employment before they enter university.

Rowcliffe, who graduated this past summer from the University of Exeter with a first class MEng in Mechanical Engineering, was successfully matched with AnTech by the Year in Industry programme, and spent an exciting year with AnTech prior to entering university. “While at AnTech, I worked for three months on an array of smaller projects. Then I was given my main project by Toni Miszewski, managing director of AnTech. He had an idea for a new tool for the oil industry that he wanted me to research and develop,” said Rowcliffe. “During the following nine months, I designed two test jigs to obtain the necessary information before designing and testing a prototype. I was involved in every step of the process, from being given the project when it wasn’t much more than an idea, to the final prototype. As a result I’m registered as the co-inventor of the tool on the patent,” he added. Since then, the prototype has been successfully used by AnTech’s clients and performs its intended function.

Toward the end of his year with AnTech, Nigel entered the tool in the Year in Industry’s annual ‘Contribution to the Business’ Awards competition. Winning the first prize at the regional competition, Nigel went on to win the national Prize for Innovation.

“Because AnTech is a small company, everyone is involved in pretty much everything. Looking back, I could never have anticipated the extent to which I would learn and be given so much responsibility and the chance to put my creative skills to work. As a result of my year with AnTech and the project work I did during university, I found the direction for my university degree and future career in the field of mechanical design. I am very pleased to be working here now as a Development Engineer. It’s a bit like coming home,” said Rowcliffe.

In his new role, Rowcliffe is responsible for structuring mechanical design, development and testing activities. Originally from Puddington in Devon, England, Rowcliffe, 23, is based in Exeter and reports to Aziz Rashid, Engineering Manager.

“It’s extremely satisfying to see how the combined efforts of Year in Industry scheme and our own Graduate Recruitment Programme work together to make it possible for bright, motivated young people to make a real contribution. It also gives them the chance to experience real life in the workplace so they have a clear idea of the type of career they really want to pursue,” said Toni Miszewski, Managing Director of AnTech. “From the company’s point of view, it gives us the chance to train them and gauge how well they work within the team, as well as on their own. I’m happy to report that from the very beginning, Nigel exhibited a great deal of drive and creativity while taking on a substantial amount of responsibility. We are very happy to welcome him onboard as a permanent member of the AnTech team,” he added.

Although Nigel Rowcliffe is the first Year in Industry/Graduate Recruitment Programme candidate to be employed in a permanent capacity at the company, AnTech has continued to recruit recent college graduates for placements for the past four years. Each participant is paid a salary for a mutually agreed upon period, and given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. Participants are assigned to projects in keeping with their interests, and rotated through a range of disciplines and business activities. Should a candidate prefer to work while enrolled at university or holiday periods, they may do so, but AnTech doesn’t require this level of commitment, as the company supports each student in pursuing a quality degree.