Success at science and engineering event will mark young people out as future stars
Young people from 21 schools in the North West marked themselves out as science and engineering stars of the future at an important event hosted by the University of Liverpool on 29th April.
The students are taking part in the prestigious Engineering Education Scheme (EES), generally viewed as the UK’s foremost programme for identifying young science and engineering talent among 16/17 year olds. EES, which allows the young people to work for six months on a real commercial project with a local company, is itself celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, a longevity which demonstrates its successful format.
At the Celebration & Assessment Day event nearly 100 students demonstrated their technically advanced projects, presenting their work to an expert panel and hosting over 70 guests in the afternoon exhibition. Typically the young people will have worked in teams of four people for six months on projects set by the company involved and will be mentored by staff from the company over the period of the project.
Examples of the complex projects being tackled by the teams are Alderley Edge School for Girls working with Siemens on a Vehicular Speed Detection device, Huge Baird College working with Ansaldo NES on a Nuclear Waste Levelling System and Priestley College working with Sellafield on Silo Decommissioning.
Charity Watkins, Director of EDT North says, “The fact that EES has been so successful over 30 years in developing talented scientists and engineers who go on to fulfilling careers in these sectors shows what a valuable start these young people are getting to their own careers. Over 30 years more than 30,000 young people have successfully graduated from EES and research suggests that over 90% of EES students go on the science, technology, engineering or maths degrees and 77% of them start careers in these sectors.”
EES is the longest running business/education programme in the UK Engineering sector and offers a ‘real life’ 6 month science, engineering or technology project, working with a local employer, to teams of young people aged 16-17.
The project tackles a real issue for the employer, which provides mentor support to the project team, and enables the young people to develop their skills in project management, report writing, team work and many other employability skills.
The project also helps raise awareness of related careers and helps to inform further education and career choices, as well as helping employers contribute to the national skills pool in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and develop their own future talent pipeline.
The project is run by the education charity EDT which arranges STEM experience activities for over 20,000 young people a year through a range of different programmes.
The EDT is a nationwide education charity and the leading organisation working to inspire young people into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through business/education links. Having worked in this area for 25 years and having national reach, EDT is expert in encouraging young people to focus on the opportunities that STEM careers can offer. EDT Programmes include First Edition, Go4SET, Open Industry, Engineering Education Scheme, Headstart, The Year in Industry and Industrial Cadets.
The EDT works in partnership with schools, colleges, universities and businesses to allow students from the age of eleven through to graduate level to interact with people in businesses that rely on STEM skills, providing them with the insights and role models that will allow them to make informed subject choices throughout their academic/vocational pathway.
Programmes can be as short as one day or as long as a year and currently engage around 25,000 young people each year. The EDT has a strong base of evidence showing the effectiveness of these programmes in influencing young people towards STEM choices and creating opportunities for their future.
For more information contact:
Mark Wood, Business Manager North & Go4SET National Champion EDT – Engineering Development Trust
Email: m.wood@etrust.org.uk Tel: 0161 278 2496 www.etrust.org.uk
