Last week we supported two major events as part of our support of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Supporting these events is important part of what we do, to inspire a diverse pipeline of future talent to join and grow with us. It also gives our teams lots of opportunities to contribute to their local communities.
Last Tuesday, our York Rail Office and Sheffield Highways Design Hub Team was at Doncaster Racecourse of the “Big Bang Fair Yorkshire and Humber”. This was followed on Wednesday and Thursday by a team from our Airport Infrastructure and Highways Team from the SE Hub – they attended the “Big Bang Fair South East” at the South of England Showground in Sussex.
The two events were attended by over 13,000 students and their teachers, who got the opportunity to learn more about the importance of STEM and the career opportunities available.
Big Bang Fair Yorkshire and Humber
At the Yorkshire and Humber event, we introduced our new Girl Guiding Engineering Badge. This new badge helps young girls develop the skills to apply science, technology, engineering and maths in novel ways. We also had an “Understand the Environment” activity as well, acting as judges of science projects completed by children from the region.
Big Bang Fair South East
At the South East event, the team showcased our popular “Design a railway game” as well as an Aircraft Tracking activity. Visitors got a taste of the planning skills needed to become an engineer, and showcased the importance of STEM subjects when choosing their next steps in education.
Malcolm Wright, Account Manager for Airports Infrastructure at Amey Consulting said: “We were delighted to be part of these important events. It is vital that we showcase to young people the importance of STEM and inspire the engineers of the future.”
Graduate Engineer Daniel James, who attended the SE event, said: “I really enjoyed the two days, our railway game was really popular and gave young people the opportunity to design a railway considering environmental, financial and accessibility impacts. The ability of the students to “think outside the box” was fantastic!”