Engineering and digital interns invited to meet firms looking for talent at Made Smarter VR event in Birmingham

An exciting virtual reality experience in Birmingham will be part of a networking event pairing aspiring interns with engineering and manufacturing firms looking for expertise.

Engineering and manufacturing interns looking for companies to work for will be able to meet them at the ‘TechFutures Made Smarter Internship Event’ at virtual reality company’ In A Box 3’ in Digbeth on Thursday, March 10.

The event is being organised by Made Smarter – a £1.9 million programme which helps SMEs in the manufacturing and engineering sectors utilise new digital technology and equip them for the future.

It will help digital and engineering interns meet companies signed up for Made Smarter, and will give them a chance to offer their expertise to help the firms adopt new technology,                                                                                       and gain valuable experience while earning money.

The day will be based around an immersive VR experience called ‘Chernobyl – Hidden Depths’, a puzzle-solving adventure where players must investigate a secret lab beneath the infamous nuclear reactor. Interns taking part will need to use their digital knowhow and teamworking skills to succeed.

The experience is ‘4D’, meaning sound, touch, and smell will all be involved alongside the virtual images through the players’ headsets.

Another shorter VR experience, ‘Walk the Plank’, will be available for interns to try out too.

Tasty mocktails will be provided to attendees on arrival, and delicious street food will be available during the day all free of charge.

The VR experience takes between 45 minutes and an hour to complete, and interns will be taking part on rotation throughout the day in groups of four.

A presentation about Made Smarter and its benefits will be given by recruitment director Richard Hales while interns are waiting their turn or have finished the VR experience.

A further talk will be given by Alucast – a Black Country aluminium manufacturing firm signed up to Made Smarter about the benefits of taking on a graduate.

Its MD Tony Sartorius took on Mohammed Asad and Farhan Ahmed initially as interns, and the pair are now managers in the business.

There will then be a chance for interns to speak to businesses and gain valuable contacts.

Craig Humphrey, Managing Director of Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub which is leading Made Smarter, said: “This event will be a brilliant way for talented interns to meet firms who are looking for a bit of extra expertise to help them adopt the latest technology and move their business forward.

“And it’s fantastic to be holding the event at In A Box 3, with its immersive VR experience sure to test out the interns’ problem-solving skills in a really fun way.

“We’re hopeful plenty of prospective interns sign up and attend – it’s a great opportunity for them to connect with some prominent West Midlands businesses and could lead to a fantastic career.”

The day will run from 11.30am to 2.30pm on Thursday March 10, and takes place at In a Box 3, Floodgate Street, Digbeth. Anyone interested in signing up can do so here: https://bit.ly/3qjVTm1

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub is leading the one-year Made Smarter scheme with the region’s other Growth Hubs in Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country, Worcestershire, The Marches, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The West Midlands Growth Hubs are working closely with WMCA and their strategic partners Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry and WMG, University of Warwick.