Pupils from secondary schools across Plymouth have gained insights into engineering as part of a pioneering initiative designed to encourage more young people to consider the profession.
The
Engineering 4 Inclusion project runs a week-long summer school at the University of Plymouth, designed specifically for pupils who have faced exclusion or disadvantages in their educational journeys.
This year, 36 Year 10 pupils from three Plymouth schools - Stoke Damerel Community College, UTC Plymouth, and Sir John Hunt Community Sports College - attended the events.
They were given the chance to visit cutting edge facilities at the University, including the STEAM Lab, Energy and Sustainability Laboratory, and Composites Engineering Laboratory within the recently opened Babbage Building.
They had the opportunity to speak to world-leading researchers in a range of engineering disciplines, and to spend time working alongside technicians on a range of activities within the university labs.
They also engaged with more than 20 current university students, who took part in the summer school as mentors, about their path to the university and what life is like as a student.
The Engineering 4 Inclusion project is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and is co-led by
Dr Asiya Khan in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, and
Dr Suanne Gibson, from the Plymouth Institute of Education (PIoE) in the School of Society and Culture.
It is designed for pupils who may have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those who face poverty or socio-economic disadvantage, and/or those who experience other forms of inequality relating to gender or ethnicity.
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