Chesterfield College Group inspires the next generation of engineers

Whittington Green School students were the latest group to take part in a whole day of hands on activities designed to give them a better understanding of the world of engineering and construction when 130 students visited Chesterfield College last week.

Chesterfield College Group is working with schools across Derbyshire to help excite young people about a career in engineering and construction to help find the 1.8 million new entrants to engineering who will be needed in UK by 2025.

The Engagement Team from the college launched their engineering taster sessions recently and has already delivered a whole range of inspiring sessions to hundreds of secondary school age children in the area by visiting schools and inviting groups into experience the facilities on offer at the college.

From welding to computer aided design, the students from Whittington Green had the opportunity to find out more about the range of careers open to engineers, as well as an insight into the routes they could take to develop the skills they will need.

Julie Richards, Principal and CEO of the Chesterfield College Group, said:-

“Every industry and every area of our lives depends on the work of engineers. That is why it is vital to work with schools to inspire the next generation to develop the skills they need to fill jobs of the future. We need to excite young people about science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects and support them to make choices about the routes they can take to access the right experiences and qualifications for a career in engineering.”

Nigel Kingman, teacher from Whittington Green, said:-

“It is really important for us to broaden student’s experiences of what options they have after school. Coming to college gives them the chance to try a range of things which raises their awareness about the breadth of opportunities there are in the engineering sector. Having access to the more advanced facilities at college means we can really excite them and get them thinking about engineering as a career.”

Year 9 pupil Luke Headley, a pupil from Whittington Green School, said:-

“Everything is made and designed by engineers so we need more of them for the future. I’ve learnt a lot today and I really enjoyed the session on computer design. When you think about engineering, the first thing that comes to mind is welding and working with bits of metal.  I didn’t realise that a lot of the things we’ve had a chance to try today were classed as engineering so I’ve definitely learnt something new.”