Year 10 Girls Turn Technical for Engineering Challenge
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Students compete in STEM challenge held on 4th September delivered by the Smallpeice Trust...
Stockport Academy is one of 32 specially selected schools to take part in a new nationwide education project to engage Year 10 female students into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects, with the aim to encourage them into engineering apprenticeships. Comprising of four elements, the Girls Engineering the Future project is being delivered by The Smallpeice Trust and The Outward Bound Trust with the full support of leading engineering business partners: BAE Systems, Bentley Motors, Jacobs, Network Rail and Rolls-Royce.
Dr Kevin Stenson, Chief Executive of The Smallpeice Trust explains the benefits of the project: “With the continual concern about the low number of female students studying STEM subjects up to and beyond A Level, this project aims to encourage and educate our future female talent into engineering. Each of the four elements of this project have been created and designed to engage, encourage and excite students about the key role and contribution that women can make in business innovation, design and problem solving.”
60 students from Stockport Academy took part in an induction STEM Day within the school delivered by The Smallpeice Trust. Teams of students were set a creative challenge of building a new-generation loud speaker to use with a mobile phone or MP3 player. Once built, each team worked on a name, strapline and logo for their company and developed reasons why their design is the best and what it has to offer the market.
Following the STEM Day, students now have the opportunity to take part in a STEM Club, which will run over 10 consecutive weeks for an hour at a time. Here they will work in teams on a project created to enhance their understanding of engineering. During their active involvement in the club students will have the opportunity to meet and be mentored by female engineers from Jacobs who work within the region. These women in engineering will provide valuable real life insights, support and guidance for these students considering careers in engineering. Students will be tasked with designing and constructing a wave-powered generator and wind turbine to supply electricity to a small island. The teams will be asked to explore all aspects of their chosen design such as longevity, through to the environmental impact and will create and present a proposal to a panel of judges.
Students showing aptitude, talent and engagement during the STEM Club will go on to further challenge themselves and develop valuable new skills for their future, through a 5-day residential outdoor experiential learning course delivered by The Outward Bound Trust at their Aberdovey Centre, in Snowdonia. Natalie Harling, Head of Education at The Outward Bound Trust explains: “We’ll be enabling female students to realise their true potential and equipping them with key skills needed to achieve in this typically male-dominated sector. Our learning process of reviewing and reflecting on the activities undertaken during their residential course with The Trust will transfer back into the classroom and is proven in developing key skills such as: communication, leadership, teamwork, resilience, personal responsibility and trust.”
During the second part of this programme students will continue to have regular access to their assigned mentors via the STEM Careers Club. They will learn skills to prepare them for future employment such as CV writing, how to complete ‘stand out’ employment application forms, as well as interview techniques and skills practice. In addition students will be made aware of the numerous apprenticeships on offer from the programme’s business partners – regional employers Jacobs as well as BAE Systems, Bentley Motors, Network Rail and Rolls-Royce.
Explained the Smallpeice Trust’s Education Officer Megan Hubbard:
“There is a real shortage of women entering engineering, with only 13% of young people studying engineering at university actually girls, hence the launch of this project to help get girls interested in the engineering sector.”
Said Stockport Academy Principal Frank McCarron:
“It’s so important to enable our young people to be made aware of all of the potential career opportunities available to them, hence our support for this fantastic initiative.”
For further information please visit: www.girlsengineeringthefuture.org.uk