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Students show off engineering skills

Sixth form students from the North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire displayed their engineering skills at an open day supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) last week. A total of 160 students in teams of four took part in the event, held at the University of Newcastle and organised by the Engineering Education Scheme (EES).

The open day was the culmination of a six-month link-up between the students and employers, aimed at encouraging more young people to consider careers in engineering. Each team worked with a mentor from a participating company on a real-life industrial project.

The civil engineering and construction field was well represented, with projects as diverse as how to strengthen the handrails on the listed footbridge at Cragside using only traditional materials and projects involving sewage treatment works, flood defences and road embankment stabilisation.

Mike Gardiner, regional education co-ordinator for ICE North East, said: “ICE has a strong ethos of encouraging more youngsters in the North East to become involved in civil engineering, and the Engineering Education Scheme is an ideal way of promoting the industry to students.

“I was very impressed with the standard of work produced by the teams, and I hope many of them go on to become rising stars in the world of engineering. “It is a testament to the enthusiasm and commitment of the students that some of them have volunteered to return to school for a few hours during their holidays to show the president what they have achieved.”

Bryan Lawrence, regional director for EES, said: “There is clear evidence that the experience has a positive influence on career choices and we are delighted by the growing support from civil engineering companies in this region.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .