A Tamworth-based engineering firm has strengthened its recruitment strategies, improved efficiency and set a strategy growth thanks to a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).
Excitation Engineering Services Ltd (EES), based in Amber Business Village, partnered with a KTP associate, Bilkisu Donli, to address key challenges, including attracting skilled graduates and streamlining operations. The collaboration has helped the company expand its workforce and enhance internal processes.
Through the KTP – a government-backed programme designed to connect businesses with academic expertise – the company refined its recruitment strategies, developing targeted job packages and using platforms such as GradCracker, which connects engineering graduates with employers. The firm also introduced internship programmes aligned with industry standards and developed a three-to-five-year strategic growth plan.
In addition, EES implemented a two-day training course to provide recruits with a CCNSG Safety Passport, a recognised qualification that enhances workplace safety and employability.
The KTP also helped EES modernise its operations by implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) system to track customer interactions more efficiently, improve response times and organise internal processes.
EES’s KTP associate Bilkisu Donli was also able to complete a British Computer Society (BCS) business analysis course, thanks to £4,000 in professional development funding from Innovate UK, which helped her to streamline the company’s processes.
She said: “The experience has been transformative for both the company and my professional development. I gained valuable insights into project management, mastering the ability to manage timelines and adopt holistic approaches to address multiple challenges with a single solution.”
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships have significantly contributed to business innovation in the UK, adding over £2 billion to the economy between 2010 and 2020. Established in 1975, the programme – which sees a skilled graduate or early-career professional placed within a company for 12 to 36 months – continues to support more than 800 businesses and 850 graduates each year, fostering collaboration between industry and academia.