Mecalac Construction Equipment UK Ltd (MCEUK), has awarded its 2018 Construction Equipment Shield to a star student from Harper Adams University.

The award recognises academic excellence for students enrolled on the BSc (Hons) Off-Road Vehicle Design course at the university. Nick Finlay (23) from Tranent, East Lothian, received the shield following his final year project, which saw the student design and install a safety system for an all-electric quad bike.

The award reflects the long-standing relationship between the two parties. This also includes a 12-month placement scheme for second-year students at the Mecalac manufacturing facility in Coventry, UK. From new product development and factory operations management to equipment testing and industry research, each successful scheme applicant gets hands-on training experience across a range of roles within the business, developing practical skills to support their academic studies.

The award was presented by Steve Price, Engineering Manager (site dumpers) at Mecalac. Price commented: “Congratulations to Nick, whose impressive performance, both in grades and in his final year project, made him the very worthy recipient of this year’s award. We are very proud of this academic partnership and of the opportunity it presents to build relationships with the rising engineering stars of tomorrow.

“Since partnering with Harper Adams in 2013, we have helped numerous students gain valuable experience in equipment production as part of our internship programme, with the aim of encouraging and fostering new engineering talent in this area. Indeed, we have even recruited one of the programme’s very first students as a full-time team member.  We look forward to continuing to inspire the next generation in this way for many years to come.”

For more information about Mecalac, or to find your nearest distributor, visit www.mecalac.com/en.