Siemens in Congleton and Airbus in Broughton have shown their commitment to educating the engineering workforce of the future by providing a programme of hands-on activities and real-work situations to bring the learning of local students to life.
Since September many of the area’s 14-19 year olds have been studying for the new Engineering Diploma, which has been developed with the help of over 5,000 employers nationally. Local companies such as Siemens and Airbus play a key role in their delivery as they provide talks, work placements, resources, equipment and site tours.
At a recent employer led day 14 and 15 year olds from Macclesfield High, Congleton High, Eaton Bank in Congleton and Holmes Chapel Comprehensive enjoyed a day of practical sessions delivered by the local industry experts.
Airbus’s Education Partnership Centre Manager, Steve Edward, set the Higher Diploma group the task of developing an assembly method which would ensure planks of wood could be slotted together into a pre-defined pattern. Logical thinking skills and team-work were needed as teams pitted themselves against each other to achieve the fastest time.
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| From left to right: Eaton Bank Students David Mitchell, Lewis Burgess-Beard, Jack Higgins and Jonny Connelly |
Steve commented: ‘The Diplomas provide an exciting option for the area’s young people. Through the talks and site tours we have given these students a real insight into how their learning can be applied in the real world.’
Siemens Training Officer Andrea Case and Graduate Engineer Danny Wong also worked with the group to investigate standards in precision engineering. Students were given the task of fine tuning a catapult to ensure the accuracy of its operation.
The Diplomas have been made possible through the East Cheshire Partnership of schools and Macclesfield College, who work together, pooling their staff and facilities and co-ordinating their timetables to deliver the best learning experience for 14-19 year old students.
Rodger Tyrie, who is based at Eaton Bank, is one of the teachers who deliver weekly sessions at College for the 14-16 Higher Diploma students. He commented: ‘The curriculum is taught by Macclesfield College lecturers and school teachers from across the area. Learning takes place in an engineering context, but students still get a rounded education by studying the core GCSE subjects – English, Maths, Science as well as ICT, Physical Education, Religious Education, Citizenship and Personal Social and Health Education.’
Macclesfield College Engineering lecturer Colin Basnett also worked with students on the day to investigate structures and how to design them for strength, guiding them as they made towers out of newspaper that were strong enough to resist heavy weights.
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| From left to right: Eaton Bank Students Lewis Burgess-Beard, Jonny Connelly and David Mitchell with Macclesfield College lecturer Colin Basnett. |
Colin commented: ‘Higher Diploma students spend two days studying at Macclesfield College and so benefit from the facilities both in their own school and the specialist facilities at College.’ He continued: ‘The teaching allows students to delve into engineering, but still keeps their options open and develops the skills they need for progression on to further study, university, apprenticeships and work.’
Diplomas are offered at 3 different levels for students aged 14-19 and from September 2009 can be studied in 5 areas: Business, Administration and Finance; Creative and Media; Manufacturing and Product Design; Society, Health and Development and Engineering.
For more information see www.macclesfield.ac.uk
