Hundreds of young girls in England and Scotland have come together to learn about engineering and science at Amey’s first ever badge day. The company, which designed the badge, were prompted to do more when they received over 120,000 requests covering Girlguiding across the UK.
For the first time, two events were held simultaneously in Basingstoke and Edinburgh. Engineers from Amey attended to support the girls receiving their Guiding Girls into Engineering Badge. It serves as an introduction into practical STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning, stimulating interest in subjects that girls are usually known for avoiding.
Activities included designing and building a bridge out of straws then testing how much weight it could carry, constructing robots using motors and recyclable materials, and creating vehicles using cakes and sweets.
Isla Buchanan, Senior Project Manager at Amey Consulting, said: “Not only did we have almost 200 girls attend the Edinburgh event, there were another 300 on the waiting list.
I think events like this show if you make the activities fun and relatable, you can encourage young people, especially girls to take an interest in STEM. This, alongside our programmes that support teachers and encourage accessibility in the industry, can really make a difference now, and in the future.”
Not only is the UK falling behind with one of the lowest stats for women in engineering (circa 9 per cent), the London School of Economics also reports one in six UK jobs now require STEM knowledge and the government has said industry needs to do more.
As well as the engineering badge, Amey has several programmes helping to engage young people in STEM; this led them to win the prestigious Large Companies STEM Inspiration Awards in early November.
To find out more about inclusion at Amey, visit www.amey.co.uk/your-career/inclusion-and-diversity/
To request a badge resource pack, contact girlguiding@amey.co.uk