Last updated 15:42, Friday, 25 July 2008

WHAT better way to really understand the engineering industry than have the top engineers from across Cumbria visit your school?

Route one: Former Carlisle United captain, now Workington Reds player Kevin Gray driving a friend’s traction engine

Pupils from Wigton’s Nelson Thomlinson School were given a unique insight into the world of engineering, recently, when they got their chance to speak to the industry’s professionals, at an engineering awareness day.

The event, which was the first of its kind organised by the West Cumbria Business Cluster, featured exhibitions and activities from some of the area’s leading design and engineering companies.

The Year 9 pupils saw, first-hand, some of the equipment used by engineering companies which was on display at the exhibition.

They were then split into groups and given a design-and-build project, in which they had to develop a solar-powered car, which would be entered into a race and later judged.

The aim of the event was to change the current attitude towards engineering, showing that all disciplines involved in the industry can be fun and rewarding.

It also aimed to highlight the exciting opportunities in the industry, with the hope of minimising the loss of the next generation of scientists and engineers from the area.

Ian Henderson, director of the West Cumbria Business Cluster (WCBC) and one of the event organisers, said: “Although it’s the first one the Business Cluster had organised, it was a great success.

”We had hundreds of pupils through the doors looking around the exhibition; a good mix of girls and boys too, so we were all very pleased about how it worked out as it’s been months in the planning.

”We were really impressed with the interest that was shown by the pupils and it was nice to see some girls getting involved, in fact the girls gave smarter answers than the boys.

”The Year 9 group we worked with were split into six teams of four and given a project to build and run, a mini solar-powered car.

”Charged solar cells were then fitted to the cars, so they could be raced and judged.”

Prizes for the best design and fastest solar car included hydrogen cell model cars, hydrogen cell car science kits and water powered clocks, all of which were sponsored by Atkins Global, Doosan Babcock and Jacobs.

Mike Froggart, laboratory manager for VT Nuclear Environmental Laboratory, attended and presented the overall prize of a full-day tour of VT’s labs, where the pupils will get the chance to collect samples from the beach and analyse them.

Mike said: “VT Nuclear are pleased to be giving these young people the opportunity to visit the labs and to get involved in events such as these which give them the chance to think logically and solve problems through design and build projects.

”Our attendance at these sort of events gives us the opportunity to, not only, speak to and inspire the pupils but also to talk to the teachers and develop work experience opportunities for their pupils.

”I was very impressed with the young people I saw on the day: they showed a great deal of interest and put in a lot of effort in a short amount of time.”

Also at the event was Tony Lawrence, chair of the WCBC, who said exhibitions and activities such as the engineering awareness day were the perfect opportunity for students to talk to engineers in the industry.

”Science and engineering companies can use events like these to get into schools and promote the industry to a generation who are young enough to make the choice now,” he said.

”We saw hundreds of kids in the morning and one girl we saw wasn’t particularly interested but after looking around the exhibition decided she now wants a career in engineering.

”The aim of the event was to show pupils that science and engineering is not just something they read about in a text book; it’s fun and exciting.

”But for us, as a local business cluster, it’s part of our objectives to raise awareness of the industry to the future workforce.

”The future success and growth of our businesses depends on young people coming into the industry. If that doesn’t happen the area’s economy will die.

”We want to retain high skills in the area and become a centre of excellence.”