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Role Models Yorkshire

I have recently set up a nonprofit organisation called Role Models Yorkshire. The mission is to inspire young people from low socio-economic areas, to follow professional careers. I am hoping to introduce some engineering workshops to my organisation aimed at primary school children.

Could I please get some pointers on types of activities that primary school children may enjoy and that will build their interest in engineering?

Also if you're interested my organisation website is http://www.role-models.co.uk/.

Thanks!

Parents

0 Roy Bowdler over 6 years ago

I suggest that you make contact with the IET “5-19 team” led by David Lakin. https://www.theiet.org/career/routes-to-engineering/stem-education/

At the time when I lived and worked in the County, it was in many parts almost impossible to avoid an advertisement for an engineering career, in the form of cooling towers, pitheads and other landmark large industrial facilities like manufacturing, chemical and steelworks. All of these industries employed large numbers, visited local schools, recruited apprentices each year and many operated their own dedicated training establishments.

In the types of communities that you refer to, there is very little tradition of preparing for a career through university attendance and further pursuing that career wherever in the country or world that opportunities may arise. So although widening horizons may help some of the most academically able aspire to that pathway, for most a more local technical apprenticeship will be a better option. I can’t offer a recently informed perspective about how local engineering employers, who are more diverse and often smaller in scale than during the era that I was referring to, engage in these areas. However, anything that you can do to improve employer engagement could be beneficial. Any interest that might be developed in a pre-teen, may dissipate if they can’t see a realistic job opportunity or role model in their community. Good Luck!
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0 Roy Bowdler over 6 years ago

I suggest that you make contact with the IET “5-19 team” led by David Lakin. https://www.theiet.org/career/routes-to-engineering/stem-education/

At the time when I lived and worked in the County, it was in many parts almost impossible to avoid an advertisement for an engineering career, in the form of cooling towers, pitheads and other landmark large industrial facilities like manufacturing, chemical and steelworks. All of these industries employed large numbers, visited local schools, recruited apprentices each year and many operated their own dedicated training establishments.

In the types of communities that you refer to, there is very little tradition of preparing for a career through university attendance and further pursuing that career wherever in the country or world that opportunities may arise. So although widening horizons may help some of the most academically able aspire to that pathway, for most a more local technical apprenticeship will be a better option. I can’t offer a recently informed perspective about how local engineering employers, who are more diverse and often smaller in scale than during the era that I was referring to, engage in these areas. However, anything that you can do to improve employer engagement could be beneficial. Any interest that might be developed in a pre-teen, may dissipate if they can’t see a realistic job opportunity or role model in their community. Good Luck!
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Role Models Yorkshire

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