engineering education scheme (england) headstart - Ingenia

A Focus course on automotive engineering – part of the Headstart course at the University of Sussex
INSPIRING FUTURE ENGINEERS
FEATURE SOCIETY
Engineering offers a variety of career options and can be rewarding both intellectually
and financially. The Academy has a programme of extra-curricular activities that enables
youngsters to get a taste of this at school, before making important subject choices.
Penny Tysoe provides a snapshot of some of the Best Programme schemes run by the
Engineering Development Trust.
The Engineering Development
Trust (EDT) administers four of
the Academy’s Best Programme
schemes: Go4SET, Engineering
Education Scheme (England),
Headstart and The Year in
Industry (YinI). Annually the EDT
involves over 4,000 students and
aims to provide them with reallife
exposure to industry, reveal
the potential career
opportunities available, and to
provide the inspiration and
motivation needed to continue
on a career path in science,
engineering and technology.
degree from his EESE supporting
company. In Alan’s case, this
meant that during his summer
holidays and placement year he
was able to work in at a variety
of JCB plants in a variety of roles.
After this, Alan graduated from
Loughborough University and
went straight into the position
of research engineer within JCB
Power Systems where he
worked with the engine which
powered the JCB Dieselmax
vehicle to a new world diesel
land speed record of more than
350mph in 2006.
INSPIRING
FUTURE ENGINEERS
Alan Curtis makes measurements on a modified JCB research engine
ENGINEERING
EDUCATION SCHEME
(ENGLAND)
Alan Curtis is one of over 19,000
students to have taken part in
the EESE programme since it
began over 21 years ago. Like
many Year 12 (16-17 year old)
students, Alan’s perception of
engineering before he took part
was vague – he saw it as a world
of “dirty overalls and spanners.”
By the end of the scheme, Alan
had gained experience within an
engineering company and had
made up his mind to apply to
study mechanical engineering.
On the EESE scheme, four
students from a school form a
team and, with the support of
their teacher, work with a local
company on real scientific,
engineering and technological
problems. JCB were assigned to
support Alan and his team
mates for six months and helped
to encourage the students to
show industrial enterprise,
creativity and innovation.
As a result of the scheme,
Alan, like many other
participants, was able to find
sponsorship for his university
HEADSTART
This is a summer course targeted
at Year 12 students who have an
aptitude for maths or science
and have the potential to
succeed in technology-based
industries. Participating students
are given the chance to
experience a week in one of 30
UK universities during the
summer holidays. The courses
give prospective students the
opportunity to take part in the
types of activities, lectures and
presentations that are associated
with degree courses.
Helen Randell, after taking
part in two EDT schemes
(Headstart in 2003/04 and YinI
in her gap year), became
convinced that engineering is a
diverse, exciting and challenging
career choice which she wanted
to be a part of. She
subsequently went on to study
engineering at the University of
Cambridge.
Headstart also runs general
science courses and a range of
specialist Focus courses which
concentrate on a single
discipline. In addition to this,
they run Dragonfly, Spectrum,
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INSPIRING FUTURE ENGINEERS
and First Edition modules which
are aimed specifically at girls,
youngsters from ethnic
minorities and 12/13 year old
school students.
THE YEAR IN
INDUSTRY
The EDT programme does not
confine itself solely to school
students. YinI provides paid,
degree-relevant work
placements for students in their
year out before or during their
degree course.
Helen Randell took up a
place on this scheme and was
given the chance to work as a
Projects Engineering Technician
at East Midlands Airport. Here,
she was charged with extending
the existing fire training rig so
that the airport fire crew would
have an expanded replica of the
larger-scale planes that the
airport was planning to operate.
Helen Randell as a YinI student at East Midlands Airport
After consultation with the
Airport Fire Service and
Simulation, Helen liaised with
the airport’s environmental
team, sent out the civil work
specification, created and gained
approval of the budget for the
project. She then provided the
civil contractor with plans of the
10m extension and planned a
time scale to go with them, to
ensure that the project finished
on schedule.
As with all YinI, Helen became
an integral part of the team and
her efforts helped deliver results
that provided significant benefits
to East Midlands Airport – both in
increased capacity for the airport
and improved safety of
passengers.
GO4SET
Go4SET is a new, work-related,
applied-learning programme
which links teams of six Year
9/S2 (age 13 to 14) pupils and
their teacher with a local
company to offer a 10 week
Science, Engineering and
Technology experience. As part
of the project, pupils experience
lessons in industrial enterprise,
team working, project
management and
communication/presentation in
a real business environment.
BP is lead sponsor of the
programme. Ian Duffy, BP’s
business advisor in Social and
Community Affairs, believes that
Go4SET fits with BP’s
engineering education priorities
by inspiring and motivating the
next generation of young
engineers and scientists and
involving BP’s own technologists
and engineers in this process.
Through this, Ian says, students
are given “the opportunity to
investigate real industrial issues
and to develop innovative
solutions.”
EDT SCHEMES
The main aim of the EDT
schemes is to encourage young
people to fulfil their potential
through careers in engineering,
science and technology. In
targeting Years 9, 12 and 13, gap
year students and
undergraduates, the EDT
schemes seek to inspire and
motivate these individuals and
influence their future career
choices whilst enhancing their
technical and employment skills.
Support is provided for EDT and
other Best Programme schemes
from companies that include
Astra Zeneca, BP, Centrica, Ford,
GKN, National Grid, Rolls Royce,
QinetiQ and Shell.
From a teacher’s point of
view, the benefits have been
impressive. Peter Crompton, a
teacher at Fortismere School in
London, says that his pupils’
involvement in EDT has resulted
in their “considerable personal
development, honing the
essential life-skills of teamwork,
problem-solving, creativity and
innovation.” He also says that
from a personal point of view,
the experience of working in
tandem with business has
allowed him to gain a better
understanding of what is
expected of his pupils in later
life. Nearly 50,000 students have
taken part in EDT schemes since
the programmes began 21 years
ago and it is hoped that every
one has gained the type of
experience that Peter Crompton
speaks of.
Further reference
For more information about
the Academy’s Best
Programme, including all the
EDT schemes, visit:
The Best Programme
www.raengbest.org.uk
Go4SET
www.go4set.org.uk
EESE
www.thescheme.org.uk
Headstart
www.headstartcourses.org.uk
The Year in Industry
www.yini.org.uk
BIOGRAPHY: Penny Tysoe
Penny Tysoe is the Marketing
and Communications
Manager for the Engineering
Development Trust and is
based in their Welwyn
Garden City Office.
Engineering your Career
The Royal Academy of Engineering develops, sustains and enhances young people's
interest in science, engineering and technology and enhances their understanding of
engineering and the excitement it provides.
It does this through its Shape the Future campaign, the London Engineering Project
which takes engineering into the classroom, and the Best Programme which is a
continuum of schemes that promote engineering.
Best Programme schemes include Young Engineers, The Smallpeice Trust schemes,
Engineering Education Scheme, Go4SET, Headstart and The Year in Industry.
There is also a range of programmes for undergraduate and graduate engineers to fasttrack
to chartered status, or into management.
Discover a world of engineering at www.raeng.org.uk
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