Made Smarter Digital Internship programme enables D Squared to test and adopt new technologies

A Liverpool manufacturing business has hailed the impact of a programme that teams up tech-savvy students and graduates with manufacturers to adopt new digital technologies.

Made Smarter’s Digital Internship Programme enables paid placements to give businesses a fast, low-risk way to test and apply new technologies, modernise processes and build confidence in digital transformation, while giving students real, hands-on experience inside live manufacturing environments.

As National Apprenticeship Week puts the spotlight on skills and early careers, the government-backed adoption programme is showing how flexible, project-led internships can help businesses access specialist skills and explore technologies they would not otherwise have the time or capacity to pursue.

Over the past year, Made Smarter North West’s latest cohort of 18 interns have worked directly on factory floors and in engineering teams, applying a wide range of digital technologies to real production challenges. These include robotics and automation, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, CNC and CAD-to-CNC workflows, virtual reality and digital twins, system integration and wider workflow digitisation.

D Squared Product Development, a design, engineering and manufacturing consultancy based in Liverpool, partnered with Anoushka Phillips, a product design student at Nottingham Trent University, to explore how AI tools could be integrated into the product design process.

Daniel Isler, Technical Director at D Squared Product Development, said: “Participating in the programme has enabled us to dedicate time to exploring and implementing a range of AI tools that would not otherwise have been possible.”

Anoushka, 22, added: “The internship allowed me to apply my university learning in a commercial environment and understand how creativity and feasibility have to work together on live projects.”

Elsewhere across the North West, manufacturers have worked with students and graduates to trial robotic welding, improve CNC workflows, digitise legacy processes, develop virtual factory models and explore system integration projects that support future automation.

While the programme is focused on skills development and technology adoption, early employment outcomes are beginning to emerge, with two interns already offered permanent roles as businesses look to retain digital capability and momentum.

Donna Edwards, Programme Director for Made Smarter North West, said: “These digital internships are delivering exactly what manufacturers need, practical digital skills and fresh thinking, while giving students and graduates paid, hands-on experience on real industrial projects.

“As National Apprenticeship Week highlights the importance of developing future talent, our digital internships show how flexible, paid placements can play a vital role in strengthening the manufacturing skills pipeline.”

Since its inception in 2019, Made Smarter has supported over 2,500 manufacturers across the North West, providing access to expert digital advice, technology adoption roadmaps, skills development opportunities and funded technology projects.

Find out more about the Digital Internship programme and read the recent white paper, visit: madesmarter.uk/adoption/internship-programme

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