Sennheiser teams up with UK university

Sennheiser UK has formed a unique partnership with Buckinghamshire New University, offering new opportunities for budding audio professionals.

Launched last week in the audio studios of the university’s Gateway building, the arrangement includes the renaming of the main recording studio to The Sennheiser Sound Lab, and the manufacturer is providing a range of equipment for the facility, including state-of-the-art digital microphones, giving students access to the very latest audio technology.

Sennheiser UK has worked closely with the university on an informal basis for the past eight years, providing education days, master classes, workshops and advice to dissertation students.

One key element is the sponsorship of an annual scholarship for a second-year student studying BA (Hons) Audio and Music Production. Starting in September 2013, the scholarship is worth £3,000, and will see the student receive equipment from Sennheiser and Neumann in order to aid their studies.

Sennheiser is also providing two six-month internships. After a rigorous selection process, third year BA (Hons) Music Management students Jamie Leeming and Gemma Robinson have already taken up roles at Sennheiser UK’s HQ in High Wycombe, working as marketing executive and consumer channel executive respectively.

In addition, the company will arrange ‘industry insider’ days in the live or broadcast market for the second-year BA (Hons) Audio and Music Production student with the best academic performance in the previous year.

“Sennheiser is one of the largest microphone, headphone and in-ear monitoring manufacturers in the world, so this is a hugely exciting development,” said Frazer Mackenzie, head of the School of Applied Production & New Media at the university. “We’ve worked with the company for a number of years and this new agreement will bring a wide range of benefits to both the university and our students.”

Speaking at the launch, Sennheiser UK general manager Phil Massey added: “A relationship with an establishment like Bucks New University gives us the opportunity to develop our future. It’s a very small industry and developing young people is essential to not losing the skills our industry specialises in. It’s a great opportunity for us to help students develop and hopefully take the Sennheiser brand name forward into the future. This is more like a marriage then a partnership to be honest.”

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