Knowledge Transfer Partnership

Marco Ferrara

MSc International Business and Management
Company partner: ‘Bon Appétit’, Pordum Foods Ltd

My KTP was with Bon Appétit - a high quality hot food vending company - and my project aim was to develop suitable management capability and market/branding knowledge to enable penetration and diversification into a breadth of vending markets including relevant food quality and safety knowledge.

One of the first key deliverables was a marketing plan, which I developed after a thorough audit of internal and external data about the company business, its customers and stakeholders. In response to customer feedback, some of the food products were revised and the packaging format of paninis, baguettes, rolls and pastries was completely redeveloped.

Thanks to the new systems put in place, the company now has a structured approach to managing its customer base, and has successfully developed and expanded its markets.

I think a significant turning point for me was approximately 6 months before the end of the project, when we saw a very clear and visible return on the work invested. Following several careful iterations of redesigning the product and packaging, we began to see a notable increase in food sales, an overall pick up in service contracts and a significant improvement in customer satisfaction.

The personal development opportunities have been a key highlight for me. Access to so many resources through the university – people, the culinary arts studios, and libraries and access to varied training and development opportunities has been excellent. I successfully completed a Diploma in Management, and am about to finish my Chartered Institute of Marketing Postgraduate Diploma.

I have learned great deal about communication and negotiation during my project. Firstly through the experience of negotiating with suppliers, and also through learning to communicate effectively within the three-way partnership a KTP provides. An unexpected benefit was also developing graphic design expertise through the packaging redesign exercise. To have visual content expertise as a marketer will open new career opportunities for me, especially in working for small to medium sized companies.

I would recommend KTP because…

I think KTP offers a “non conventional” employment opportunity, where you are given many more opportunities in a short space of time than you would through a traditional role. You do not need to convince your boss that you are worth an investment in training it's all part of the KTP programme!

Rajshri Iskande

BEng in Mechanical Engineering
Company partner: KWP Interiors Ltd

My KTP with KWP Interiors Ltd (a company which designs, manufactures and installs high quality fitted kitchens) and the University of Brighton was to optimise the company's operations to significantly improve right-first-time fits and yield full benefit of on-line process control.

I began by gaining a clear understanding of what the company does, what it's good at, and what could be improved, by systematically analysing their processes. This involved talking to people from all parts of the company from Directors through to operative staff. It also involved visits to a number of customer sites to understand the kitchen installation process and to gain feedback from the customers and on-site trades. The company changed significantly in the 2 years of the project: the systems and processes have been improved; the company culture has changed; and meaningful cost savings have already been made.

The most significant achievement for me was helping to bring about a cultural change within the company. Fact-based decision making and a consistent approach to process improvement are fully embedded within the company, but also, there is a real culture of continuous improvement which has filtered throughout the organisation. The shift in culture towards a continuous improvement ethos has been so rewarding, both for me personally and the project team.

This has been a fantastic opportunity to learn: to be able to gain such valuable experience whilst earning and studying has been brilliant. It has meant I have been able to conduct theoretical research and apply learning practically in work-life, which is a rare opportunity. I've also really enjoyed working with such a variety of people both within the company and at the University, and have received great support from both partners.

I think most significantly I have learned how to be a champion for change. Having this role automatically brought some very understandable challenges. It was really important for me to gain the confidence and trust of colleagues. I did this by involving as many people as possible throughout the project and spent a lot of time listening to others’ views and helping colleagues generate ideas to feed into the process.

I would recommend KTP because…

A KTP Associate role shapes your career. Having the opportunity to develop so much both professionally and academically and to take on responsibility so quickly is quite unusual – it would be rare to find that in any other role. In addition to delivering the project, I am close to completing my MSc at the University of Brighton, have achieved Chartered Manager status, and have been offered and accepted a role at KWP Interiors after the project ended.

Anthony Probert

MSc in Sustainability of the Built Environment
BSc in Human Geography
Company partner: Phlorum Ltd

My KTP with Phlorum Ltd and the University of Brighton was to develop and embed an ability to model and predict the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of new domestic properties.

I was responsible for the entire process: from the background research and development of the tool to working with colleagues to create marketing material to launch the product. The key outcome was not just the tool itself – a self-service system capable of running real life scenarios instantly – but the knowledge and expertise of life-cycle carbon emissions which Phlorum now has as a result of the partnership.

I think the biggest achievement was starting with a blank sheet of paper (excel document in fact!) and developing from scratch a fully operational system to launch as new and unique product. A particular highlight was also presenting a paper at an International Conference in Egypt which was a fantastic personal experience; raised the profile of the project and the tool; and most importantly opened our work to academic rigour and debate.

I came from an academic background so the KTP has broadened my commercial experience hugely. The experience has increased my confidence and launched my career – I was offered a job as a Sustainable Design Consultant by Phlorum following the end of the project. As part of the KTP I was also able to attend a variety of training courses (such as the Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor course), giving me an excellent skills boost.

Besides learning how to go about designing and constructing a low carbon dwelling(!), I think the most important skill I have gained was that of decision making; making sound decisions based on thorough research and clear cost benefit analysis.

I would recommend KTP because…

Through a KTP project you are really able to see the fruits of your labour and the impact this has on the company you are working with. There is a dedicated project team to provide support and to whom you are accountable, but you are accountable to no one more than you are yourself – it is up to you to drive the project and make it a success!