Member Article

Whitley Bay youngsters build a bridge to learning

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East has helped youngsters at a Whitley Bay school to bridge the learning gap and find out about careers in engineering.

ICE North East took its 13 metre scaled model cable-stayed bridge to Monkseaton High School, where students worked with representatives from the Institution to assemble the structure.

The bridge is used to give young people an exciting insight into one aspect of civil engineering and allows pupils direct contact with professionals who can help them to understand more about the careers available.

Mrs Tracy Crowder, Headteacher, Monkseaton High School said: “Hosting the bridge at Monkseaton High School gave us the opportunity to show our students career opportunities in civil engineering in a fun and practical way. Building this huge model together challenged all the pupils to work as teams, using their varied skills and intuition whilst boosting their confidence. It was an absolute pleasure to see them all having such a great time learning.”

Pauline Vipond, who co-ordinates school activities on behalf of ICE North East, said: “One of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ most important roles is to encourage young people to consider career paths in the industry. Greater engagement with schools and students can help us to achieve this by informing young people about what careers are possible.”

The project has been kindly supported by Wind Prospect who supplied the students with personal protective equipment such as high visibility jackets and gloves. Wind Prospect provides civil and electrical engineering services to clients around the world and is a firm supporter of ICE and this project.

Ben Allison, of Wind Prospect, said: “Civil engineering is vital to the way the world works and it is important that we as employers engage with young people, to educate them about what career choices are available. Wind Prospect is keen to inspire young people to follow a career in civil engineering, and activities such as this are a great way of demonstrating exactly what this entails. Hopefully we have inspired a few children today to study hard and possibly become part of the next generation of civil engineers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Penny Marshall .