Fawley refinery is celebrating the success of its new partnership with one of Southampton's two universities.
Staff at ExxonMobil Fawley are working with the next generation of engineers from the University of Southampton in a collaboration that links industry and academia.
The partnership began when the previous plant manager helped the university devise the content of new chemical engineering degree courses.
It has resulted in qualified engineers mentoring students on the courses, giving them an insight into how their academic knowledge can be applied to "real-world" engineering.
The collaboration is producing fresh solutions to everyday challenges as well as giving students an insight into what they can expect from a career in engineering.
One of the people involved in the project is Tracy Loughran, a senior principal engineer for ExxonMobil Fawley.
She said: "I wanted to help to give something back to the community where I have lived and worked for the last 30 years, and this was an ideal chance for us to work with the university as it developed its course content.
“I hope more of our engineers will get on board as it's a good chance for them to enhance their skills and work with the students to our mutual benefit.”
The partnership currently involves eight engineers working in a variety of areas at the Fawley site, assisting and mentoring around 15 students on the engineering courses.
Amanda Bones, a principal engineer, is mentoring MSc student Rakshitha Srinivasan, pictured.
Amanda said: "It has been a great pleasure to work with Rakshitha who is part of the next generation of Chemical Engineers.
"I hope we can continue to develop closer links with this renowned academic institute and its talented students."
Rakshitha added: "This link has provided me with a platform to not only implement the skills I acquired during my MSc but also to confront real-world scenarios, putting my knowledge to the test.
"Amanda has played an instrumental role as my supervisor and mentor, consistently offering invaluable guidance and leadership.
“This experience is undeniably a stepping stone towards shaping my career path and I am grateful for the opportunity."
The petro-chemical complex occupies a 3,250-acre site on the western shores of Southampton Water.
One in five UK vehicles run on fuel produced by ExxonMobil Fawley, which refines 270,000 barrels of oil a day.
Chemicals produced at the site are used in the production of more than 8,000 everyday products.
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