Member Article

Engineering Success at Abbey College Manchester

Two teams of innovative students from Abbey College Manchester impressed judges after taking part in this year’s national Engineering Education Scheme.

The leading independent college had two teams competing against 20 other schools and colleges taking part in the initiative organised by the Engineering Development Trust.

The two groups have been praised for their hard work by the assessors and the college hopes to top last year’s exemplary performance in which Abbey College Manchester came second out of 45.

To complete the six month challenge, a team of five A-Level students worked alongside a senior engineer from Sellafield while the team of four students worked alongside a senior engineer from Network Rail.

Abbey College Manchester Physics teachers Janet Morris and Lucy O’Brien also helped the students in solving a real engineering problem as part of the national initiative which is designed to get young people interested in engineering.

Mrs Morris said: “Both teams worked incredibly hard this year and have done themselves and the college proud.

“Involvement in the Engineering Education Scheme has given the students the opportunity to develop key skills, establish links with industry and experience what it is like to work in an industrial environment.”

The project culminated in a Celebration and Assessment Day, which gave the teams the opportunity to present their work to a panel of assessors in a 15-minute presentation, explaining their findings.

A-Level student Ghayadah Al-Kiyumi, (19), said the process was a fascinating challenge.

Ghayadah, who studies Maths, Physics and Chemistry, commented: “The project offered us a unique insight into the world of engineering and lots of work-related learning focused on innovation and enterprise.

“We really enjoyed the hands-on work experience of working as part of a team and the opportunity to work on a problem that is relevant to a local business.”

By taking part the students will receive the Engineering Education Scheme (EES) national certificate.

They will also have the opportunity to apply for British Science Association CREST Award at Gold Standard. The award is highly regarded by UK universities for the skills it develops and experiences it offers to participating students.

Abbey College is a leading independent college in the heart of Manchester, with a fast-growing and vibrant community.

There are around 220 students at the college, 75% of whom are from the local area with the remainder from other countries. Most students are undertaking A Level programmes with the remainder studying BTEC courses or GCSEs.

For more information on Abbey College visit www.abbeymanchester.co.uk, or call 0161 817 2700.

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