Plantsbrook School Future Makers: Students from Plantsbrook School were inspired to engineer a successful future for themselves at a fascinating workshop.
The day-long ‘Future Makers’ event at the school, which is part of the Broadleaf Partnership Trust, saw students from Year 10 take on simple engineering tasks linked to STEM subjects – Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics.
Michelle Rickard, who delivered the workshop for Make UK, explained the event aimed to highlight the opportunities opening up in apprenticeships.
She said: “This was a great event, with lots of energy, and the students really responded to the tasks they were set.
“The idea behind the workshop is to introduce them to the kind of skills you need for engineering, things like problem solving, teamwork, resilience and creative thinking, while also getting them to think about apprenticeships as a possible route into the workplace for them.”
During the day the students were split into teams and challenged to build a pneumatic lift, a conveyor belt and a tower, using simple components and with only brief instructions.
Michelle said: “They responded well to the challenges, which encourage them to apply practical engineering principles in a very simple way.
“Who knows, they could be the engineers of the future!”
Plantsbrook School Future Makers workshop set challenges
Plantsbrook Careers Advisor Sarah Dullea said: “This was a great, engaging session which the students found really fascinating.
“Michelle set them some interesting tasks that challenged them to think for themselves while also working in teams.
“The workshop also provided valuable information on today’s apprenticeships, which provide more options for students other than university and further education.”
Make UK is an organisation that represents the nation’s manufacturers, stimulating success for its member businesses, and inspiring the next generation.