A group of mechanical engineers in Lancashire is to help 14-year-old pupils at Leyland St Mary’s Catholic Technology College, in Leyland, to build a battery-powered racing car.

The members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are hoping to instil an interest in pursuing a career in engineering.

The initiative reflects IMechE’s support for the study of engineering in schools and, in particular, for the new diploma in engineering.

“We are trying to show young people that engineering offers an exciting, worthwhile, reasonably well-rewarded and varied career,” says Chris Kirby, IMechE’s education manager.

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BACKGROUND

• A vision to inspire

• Crying out for new recruits

• Make science fun to catch them young

• Drive to beat engineering skills shortage

“By doing a diploma, the students can see what engineering is really about. They will then be able to make a choice of what to study based on knowledge rather than on hackneyed clichés such as grease under your fingernails, spanner in your hand or it’s just all maths.”

The diploma, he says, “is focused on what employers say they need. It gives students a real insight into the world of engineering and does not force them to commit to a particular career at a young age”.

Employers are supporting schools by offering them student placements, industry mentors, sponsorships and real-life contemporary engineering problems to solve. “The diploma provides a context for the students’ academic understanding of mathematics, physics and chemistry, so they can see the real value of it,” he says. “It can show, for example, the mechanics, mathematics and physics involved in the design of a BMX bike.”

Professor Alison Halstead, pro-vice-chancellor for learning and teaching innovation at Aston University, says: “The new diploma offers a new route into engineering.” She is on the steering group for two pilot schemes in Birmingham involving 66 pupils - a third of them girls.

Wendy Wright, the principal of Macclesfield College, which is involved in the East Cheshire Partnership, a consortium of nine schools and the college, says: “If the diploma succeeds it will replace a plethora of general vocational qualifications such as the BTEC and City & Guilds, which employers and parents do not understand.”

Mike Bristow, head of Lambeth College’s faculty of technology, which is helping to teach the diploma to 30 students from Lilian Baylis Technology School, in Kennington, south London, says: “Anything that we can do to engage youngsters in engineering is extremely important, otherwise we are going to face a drastic skills shortage.”

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