WANTED: More young engineers

Sunday 26 August 2018

A drive’s on in Jersey to encourage more young people – particularly girls – to become engineers.

It’s hoped links with a UK organisation and local schools will spark students’ interests and may lead them into a career that’s important, but not highly publicised.

UK organisation Primary Engineer brings together industry and education to deliver a world of engineering challenges for young people and communities.

The Primary Engineer and Secondary Engineer programmes will see local teachers and engineers training alongside each other to plan projects and lessons which are mapped to the curriculum, to inspire and educate children, from early years through to secondary level, using real-world examples that bring maths and science to life for hundreds of Jersey school children, from September.

Pictured: It's hoped by getting children involved in engineering at an early age, they'll develop an interest in engineering. (Primary Engineering)

Each school will partner with a linked engineer to engage the students in creative, hands-on lessons that will provide a solid foundation for learning, encouraging broader career aspirations. While not all children will want to be engineers, it is hoped that they will acquire the practical problem-solving attitudes that can be applied to any profession.

The States of Jersey's Growth, Housing and Environment Department will play a leading role in the initiative, and has already hosted the first successful training session last month for secondary teachers and a group of local engineers.

Phil Dodd, the Support Services Manager for the department, will be working directly with students at Jersey College for Girls in the autumn term. “Whether children realise it or not, in the classroom you begin to develop engineering skills and strategies and this is about capitalising on these natural instincts and taking it one step further to show young people what it means to bring their ideas into reality. This is still seen as a male dominated industry, with 402 male Chartered Engineers in the UK compared to just 48 female. We’d love to close the gender gap and see more diversity in these sorts of roles, there’s certainly the support and demand for it. I am confident this programme is a big step in the right direction for Jersey," he commented.

Pictured: Hands-on projects aim to introduce students to the 'real world' of engineering. (Primary Engineering)

Dave Roworth, Director of Digital, Vocational and Technical Skills at Skills Jersey, added that, in his opinion, "it is crucial for our young people to be inspired and ambitious for their futures, and to see the links between their learning at school, and applications in the real world. So far, over 30 island nurseries, primary and secondary schools are registered with the programme and we’re delighted to see such fantastic uptake in our first year.”

Dr. Susan Scurlock, Primary Engineer CEO, commented: “The Primary Engineer and Secondary Engineer Programmes have been running for many years. We have proven that by engaging children at a young age we can inspire them and their teachers to tap into innate skills as well as help children meet the curriculum requirements of literacy, vocabulary and communication skills.”