A contingent of 75 sixth form students with an interest in science and engineering attended EDA, travelling from schools and colleges around Kent.
The two day workshop on 13th and 14th December 2016 was organised by the charity the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), which is the largest provider of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) enrichment activities for UK youth. The EDT provides opportunities for 11-21 year olds to enhance their technical, personal and employability skills through industry-led projects, industrial placements and specialized courses, enabling them to make an informed decision about their future students and career.
The workshop in EDA enabled students to engineer solutions to real industrial problems provided by companies linked to each school or college. For the workshop, EDA made its laboratories available, as well as providing support from its technicians and academic staff. The workshop also highlighted to the students the wide range of courses our School has to offer, from electronic, computer systems engineering and bioengineering to digital media technology.
This year, the schools attending the two-day workshop were: Newstead Wood, Cleeve Park, Dartford Grammar, Simon Langton Boys, Wilmington Grammar, Dane Court, Burgess Hill, Lingfield Notre Dame Kent College, Cranbrook School and Highsted Grammar. Whilst participating companies included: DSTL, Balfour Beatty, IPS International, Pavegen, Whitecode, Instro Precision, Hilger Crystals, Photek, Autoflame, and BAE Systems.
Reporting on the workshop, Matt Fox, EES coordinator for Kent, said, ‘Without doubt the University workshop experience is the highlight of the six-month project for the students. There is an incredible amount of diversity in the projects they tackle and the dedicated staff at the University always manage to assist them towards a successful outcome.’
The Engineering Education Scheme has been running for over 30 years, and since its inception in 1984 over 30,000 students have participated. Nearly 90% of students go on to read engineering or associated science/IT/technical degrees with 97% of participating engineers considering the scheme to be relevant to their company’s needs.