News - Graduate Helps Keep a Clean Sheet
Combined Universities in Cornwall press release
A multi award winning firm in Padstow, North Cornwall, which has been successfully developing environmentally friendly procedures for a number of years, has recently been tapping into the specialist knowledge of a local graduate to investigate further opportunities to improve its 'green' credentials and quality of service.
T J International is a leading manufacturer of books, with over 30 years experience at the cutting edge of production, printing and binding in Europe. Its success in achieving excellence in areas such as business performance, health and safety, training, development, the environment and quality has earned the company a list of national and international awards and accreditations- including being named overall Winner of Winners at the Cornwall Business Awards in 2007.
Catriona Lawson, from Truro, graduated from the University of Portsmouth's Environmental Science degree in 2003 and joined TJ International eight months ago through Combined Universities in Cornwall's Unlocking Cornish Potential graduate placement scheme. Her project objectives included improving the company's already impressive environmental systems and quality levels; applying her analytical skills and expert knowledge to enable feasibility studies and new procedures.
Operations Director Steve Opie explains, "The complexities of environmental management are so great and ever increasing, that it is a job in itself to comply with the legislation and also ensure the highest level of customer service which we strive for. Catriona has brought a graduate level standard of approaching project work which we otherwise probably wouldn't have had and this has allowed other managers to concentrate on their day to day operations. In this way the company's dedication to reducing its impact on the environment and continually improving quality has been able to move forwards."
During her project Catriona has carried out various feasibility studies looking at alternative energy sources for the business, including biomass and wind energy, and has investigated the installation of a more energy efficient lighting system. She has also maintained and written the systems necessary for ongoing ISO14001 accreditation- an internationally recognised environmental management standard- and is in the process of achieving PAS 75 for the company- a BSI Kitemark scheme which indicates conformance to standards of customer service excellence within the print industry.
Moving from an academic perspective to being part of a progressive firm has been a valuable learning curve for Catriona, as she explains, "It has been really interesting for me to see how the whole environmental system fits in with business and industry- it's very different to being in the classroom. My degree course provided me with a lot of scientific theory but 'management' was not really featured. This placement has given me really good experience in that area."
Unlocking Cornish Potential Project Officer, Louise Oldham has been on hand throughout the project to ensure a successful outcome and has witnessed the progress, "Catriona's confidence has grown throughout the project and TJ International have progressed their environmental good practise and quality procedures. That is very much the mission of UCP projects- to provide invaluable working experience for the graduate while enhancing the success of the business- so I am very pleased with the results."
Unlocking Cornish Potential is Combined Universities in Cornwall's graduate placement scheme which is managed by Cornwall College and supported by Objective One.