Richard Brown BEd, CertEd, MIMMM, Fellow ICME
Managing Director/Principal Academic
Richard has been educating students for many years for the Manufacturing Engineering Industries' workforce and established his company to continue the training through 'Access and Bridging' learning programmes, leading further education to higher qualifications within the Metallurgy and Casting Sector.
Richard is an innovative, experienced and versatile Metallurgist who gained his experience and practical knowledge within the industry sector working in various areas: quality, process control, and working with production departments. In his management roles he has been involved in liaising with production, inspection and quality control with the responsibility for production costs together with staff management of metallurgical technicians and metallurgists in the research and commercial environment.
His passion is metallurgical failure investigation and metallurgical examinations supporting and providing outcomes for internal and external customers. As an "expert witness" Richard has contributed in legal out of court settlements.
Richard's experience with Materials and their processes are:
Materials - carbon, low, medium and highly alloy, tool, armour plate and other engineering steels, along with a wide range of aerospace materials, including titanium, nickel based, and other higher temperature materials including super 12 stainless steels, as cast and wrought products.
Process Routes - range of castings, continuous cast products, production of ingots, billets, bars, forgings, of rod, wire. Mechanically deformation process included open, closed forgings, hammer/drop stampings, along with ring rolling and extrusion. Final product inspection and returns.
Academic - Richard has worked in the Adult, YTS Further and Higher Education for over 35 years, supporting for 28 years the development of Further and Higher Qualifications for Metallurgy and Casting, meeting "Fit for Purpose" qualifications ie National Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering (Metallurgy), HNC and HND in Engineering (Metallurgy and Materials).
Working with 3 Universities from 2002 Richard developed a series of higher qualifications including Foundation Degrees and BEng(Hons) in Metallurgy & Materials, and Casting. These qualifications met the requirements of Industrial Communities from the student and employer perspective. The modules were focused on using the workplace to apply application skills and knowledge for the student to develop work-based projects.
The qualifications were mapped and matched to meet UK SPEC and these HE qualifications received accreditation through IOM3 for all 3 grades of professional engineer status. M&C have taken this aspect and upgraded and enhanced their modules to be more interactive within today's modern technology.
Management - As Product Development Executive - working out of the College Directorate - Richard developed a relationship with internal and external communities, government bodies, organisations, sector Skills Councils, Royal Academy of Engineering.
STEM Development Project Leader - Richard was at the forefront for development of STEM opportunities, either through internal or external organisations, including Gatsby Organisation, Engineering Council, Universities of Bradford, Huddersfield and Sheffield Hallam
Professional Engineering Institutions - Richard is involved with: IOM3 (formerly Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining) on Education and Incorporated Engineers and Technician Committee (Chair), Professional Policy Board, Accreditation Committee and Professional Policy.