EUROPEAN STEEL COMPANIES–UNIVERSITIES JOINT CONFERENCE

1. Corus Interaction with University Materials Research & Teaching in the UKTony Jones, Corus Group EUROPEAN STEEL COMPANIES–UNIVERSITIESJOINT CONFERENCE Warsaw 26-27 April 2007

2. Contents • Introduction • Current situation – the issues • Future Perspective • Corus Strategy • What works well • Summary

3. Corus Interactions with UK Universities • Recruitment of graduates from a range of disciplines • Collaborative research programmes • Further education of personnel in technical disciplines & business studies Corus has three main interactions with universities:-

4. Steelworks are dark dangerous places Graduate Perspective Steel is a sunset industry The money is better in the City UK industry in decline I am not keen on the location No exciting jobs in industry School Leaver Perspective Technical courses are hard work & dull Corus is not really interested Government funding is aimed at nano & bio materials I’m paying for this I’d rather do media studies & have some fun New materials are more exciting Nothing more to do on steel University Researcher Perspective The Issues in Summary Grad/Post Grad Recruitment Problem for Corus Fewer Materials Graduates Less & fragmented steel research in universities

5. Corus Graduate Recruitment Employees by region Markets supplied by Corus Corus employs over 47,000 employees in over 40 countries. Corus is a leading supplier to many of the most demanding markets. To support this activity, metallurgy is a core competence for Corus

6. Corus UK Graduate Recruitment 2006 • Target to recruit 140 new graduates across a range of disciplines • The current shortfall in Materials graduates is countered by the recruitment of graduates from other technical disciplines

7. The number of Materials Graduates in the UK has fallen and <10% join industry: No. Mat Grads pa 3yr moving average Only 9% joined industry in 2005 Materials Science is not considered attractive & steel occupies an ever-shrinking part of the curriculum Excludes polymers & textiles Ref Materials UK Report 2006

8. Graduates Overall Salary Job content Training package Location Using degree Engineering Graduates Salary Using degree Job content Training package Location C a a a C The steel industry only ticks some of the boxes What are the most important factors for UK graduates when choosing an employer? Ref Times Survey 2006

9. Graduate Starting Salaries in the UK 2007 Ref Times Jan 2007

10. Corus external research in the UK is currently spread over a large number of universities • Corus works with over 40 UK universities • With the exception of Sheffield & Swansea the number of projects per university is 1 or 2 • Few universities carry out significant levels of steel research Is this sustainable?

11. Metallurgy Courses for Corus Personnel • Technical apprentice training needs revitalising – decline in UK manufacturing has reduced options • Lack of materials graduates means that conversion courses for graduates from other technical disciplines are vital • Part time masters degrees in materials are available but need tuning to Corus needs

12. Future Perspective • Widespread recognition in the UK of the shortage of technical graduates and much enthusiasm to tackle • Several government led working groups in place with all stakeholders involved. Still at fact-finding stage so no immediate solution in sight • Government funding is available for collaborative research between industry and academia but…. • Modern materials favoured • Small businesses favoured • Escalating cost of scientific equipment will drive collaboration and sharing Whilst the issues are being addressed it will take some time for countermeasures to take effect – Corus needs to act in the short term

13. Key Activities for Corus • Dispel the perception that steel is an old fashioned material • Promote steel as a hi tech material to universities & schools • Promote Corus as an exciting and challenging place to work • Increase Corus influence on UK Government technology strategy • Select areas for external collaboration and focus on strategic partner universities • Further develop materials courses for Corus personnel at partner universities

14. G F E Metallurgical Conversion Course PhD EngD Undergraduate Ferrous Metallurgy Recruitment Corus University Interaction Model Strategic Partner Universities Co-Worker Universities with key materials competencies Friends - Other Universities with Materials Faculties C Y B X A W Corus Chair or Lecturer, Visiting Professor Research Fellowship Academic supervision of sponsored PhD/EngDoc projects Post Doc Research & Teaching EngDoc in Steel technology and/or PhD cluster Co-ordination across centres Some sponsored PhDs in key areas linked to Steel Technology Centre IGDS/MSc for science graduates etc Steel content in syllabus Corus input into teaching Sponsorship of best students Steel content in syllabus Some Corus input into teaching Sponsorship of best students Steel content in syllabus Provision of teaching materials Sponsorship of best students Early recruitment of best students Recruit into Corus plus EngD/PhD Offer of placements pre graduation Early recruitment of best students Recruit into Corus plus EngD/PhD Offer of placements pre graduation Early recruitment of best students Recruit into Corus plus EngD/PhD Offer of placements pre graduation

15. Examples of what works well • Engineering Doctorate Scheme • IMMPETUS • Corus recruitment Activities

16. EPSRC Engineering Doctorate Centre in Steel Technology • Engineering doctorate graduates will have the technical capability, professional skills and personal attributes essential for success at managerial and executive level. CENTRE AIM

17. EPSRC Engineering Doctorate Centre in Steel Technology What is involved in the Scheme? • Four-year programme • Accredited training • Challenging research project • Research for major UK based companies • Currently 40 Research Engineers enrolled

18. EPSRC Engineering Doctorate Centre in Steel Technology Sponsoring Companies • Corus Group • Akzo Nobel • Land Rover / Ford • Crown Cork and Seal • Cogent Power • Qinetiq • Bayer Materials Science • BASF • Beckers • Rockfield Software • Newport Galvanisers • JCB • TWI • Niobium Products • Alstom • Wedge Group Galvanisers • Jaguar Land Rover • Wales Waste Management • Dyesol • Castech • Novelis • Alcan International

19. Employment of Research Engineers Industry (70%) Academia (10%) Self-Employed (1%) Government (4%) Other (15%) EPSRC Engineering Doctorate Centre in Steel Technology

20. Welcome to IMMPETUS Institute for Microstructural and Mechanical Process Engineering: The University of Sheffield

21. Main Features • Founded in 1996 and built around well-established groups in 3 host departments. Now a total of 55 members. • Mission is “To provide underpinning science for the development of physically-based models applied to industrially relevant thermo-mechanical processing of metals” • The drive is to truly integrate the three disciplines of mechanical, control and materials engineering • Funding by research councils, government, industry & EU • Steering committee with all stakeholders represented

22. Output and Implementation • Virtually all research is sponsored by industry, many companies not in the UK • Clearly identifiable technology transfer mechanisms • Recruitment of experts into industry • Numerous visits to and from international researchers

23. Sponsors: Davy Roll Doncasters plc DTI EPSRC European Community Firth Rixson plc Hydro Aluminium Iranian Government Lloyd’s Register London Scandinavian Magnox Electric plc Materials Forum National Physical Laboratory Novalis Outokumpu Stainless Pakistan GovernmentPechiney CRV - France POSCO - Korea Sheffield Forgemasters Engineering Sheffield Forgemasters Rolls SIDERAR - Argentina Spanish Government TISCO –India The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers US Air Force Research Laboratory University of Sheffield VAI UK Airbus Alcan International Ltd ALSTOM Power Conversion Ltd Allvac Ltd Aurora Forgings Ltd BP Amoco Exploration British Energy Generation Ltd Chinese Government Corus Engineering Steels Corus RD&T IJmuiden (NL) Corus Steel Strip Products Corus Swinden TC Corus Teesside TC CONACyT - Mexico

24. Lessons from EngDoc & IMMPETUS for external research • Questions not answers • Intellectually challenging • Fit with company strategy • Buy-in from the company • Clear value from deliverables • IPR agreed up front Project Resources Project Management • Strong commitment from partners • Continuity rather than one-off • Direct + leveraged support • Access to data, equipment etc • Access to technical personnel • Enthusiastic project leadership • Project charter mutually agreed • Realistic expectations • Ongoing dialogue • Flexibility • Positive and negative feedback • Celebrate success, learn from failure

25. Corus Recruitment Activities That Work • 24 hours with Corus – seeing for yourself • Student placements • Extended interview • Sponsorship of good students when they return to university • Personal endorsement a powerful tool • Recruitment events at universities using recent graduates that have joined Corus • University ambassadors The scale and drama of steel processes are an asset – we should capitalise on them

26. Summary • Interactions between Corus and UK universities are in three areas • Recruitment of high calibre graduates from a range of disciplines • High quality collaborative research • Further education of personnel in mainly technical disciplines and business studies • Numbers of materials graduates are low so recruitment is difficult. We need to work together with government and academia to get materials science recognised as an attractive and valuable degree. A proactive and innovative approach is needed to counter the current negative perception of the steel industry. • Corus external research will be concentrated on a smaller number of universities that will become strategic partners. • Ferrous metallurgy is a core competence for Corus and it is essential that we use universities to provide part-time masters level courses to train graduates